Cataclysm: The Uzumaki Chronicles
by Red Feathered Pen
Summary: What would happen if Naruto decided to stop living behind a mask at age 10?  NaruHina.  Will become M for language, blood, gore, and whatever else I feel like.
1. Winds of Change

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Everything was quite in Konohagakure no Sato, or the Village Hidden in the Leaves. After all, it was the dead of night. Villagers and shinobi alike were sleeping soundly, save for the few ANBU who patrolled the village since the demise of the Uchiha clan. Yes, it was all quiet, except for one boy screaming into the night.

The boy was ten-year-old Uzumaki Naruto, who was currently running for his life. Once again, for an unknown reason, a small mob of Konoha residents decided to take their anger out on him. He would have made it out fine, had it not been for the few shinobi who joined them.

Naruto winced as several shuriken imbedded themselves in his back and legs. He merely tore them out and kept running. A few shuriken would be the least of his problems if he allowed himself to be caught.

"DEMON!" A voice screamed from the crowd. Others joined him, calling the boy a "devil" or "demon spawn." Finally, an old lady's voice called out. "Die you fucking MONSTER!"

Naruto felt rocks begin to pelt him, as the few shinobi had run out of shuriken to bombard him with. 'Ah,' Naruto thought bitterly, 'there's my favorite name. Idiots, why can't they leave me alone?'

The boy continued running, turning into an alley. Much to his misfortune, a chunin in the mob blurred through hand seals.

"**Doton: Doryuheki!**" The small boy didn't see as mud flew out of the chunin's mouth, flowing rapidly past him and forming a wall of earth that created a dead end. Naruto ran to the newly-formed obstacle and started pounding on it in vain, praying it would break.

"Come on you stupid wall, you're gonna get me killed," the boy yelled, pounding on the hardened mud wall. Naruto jumped as he felt something massive brush by his head, missing his left ear by inches. He stepped back and saw a fuma shuriken.

Naruto looked at the mob not 20 feet from him. "What is wrong with you people," he yelled angrily.

Some people in the crowd had the nerve to laugh. Their laughs were hollow and evil, doing nothing to quell his fear. "Oh, there's nothing wrong with _us,_ demon. You see, you've been allowed to live for far too long. We've stabbed you, burned you, bludgeoned you, and even poisoned you. But you keep living."

A man with a butcher's smock and large knife stepped up. "You've managed to survive us this long, monster. Now you're gonna die. I don't think even a demon can live without his head!"

Several chunin threw their remaining shuriken at him. The bloodied and cut boy knew he would survive them, until they formed a cross-shaped seal. "**Kage shuriken no jutsu!**"

Naruto could only watch as the few shuriken became hundreds, filling any empty space in the alley. He was as good as a human dartboard. The Uzumaki crouched down, bringing his knees to his chest and shielding his head with his forearms.

"AHHHHHH!" Naruto yelled as he felt metal slice into his body. Miraculously, his torso and head were fine, but his arms and legs looked more like pincushions.

He cried while tearing the shuriken out, causing him to bleed profusely. Red chakra began to seep out, healing his wounds quickly. After a few seconds, the boy looked unharmed. Completely exhausted, but unharmed.

The mob looked at him in horror. "You see," a chunin yelled, "he truly is a demon! No human could heal themselves that quickly, not even the Slug Sannin, Tsunade!"

More cries echoed out for the boy's blood. "Kill him!" "Sandaime's law be damned!" "We'll be heroes!" The mob advanced on him, ready to kill. Naruto tried to move, but found himself bound.

Nara Shikaku, the head of the shadow-manipulating Nara clan, had his hands in a seal. His **kagemane no jutsu**made anything his shadow touched mimic his actions. Unfortunately for Naruto, he was the target. The Nara spread his arms out, forcing Naruto to mimic him. Naruto stood as if attatched to an invisible crucifix.

"Good work Shikaku," a large, muscular man said, patting his shoulder with a beefy paw. The man had a wild mane of hair and wore samurai-esque armor. The man's tiny, hateful eyes glared daggers into the boy. "This is for the Akimichi clan, monster!"

"**Bubun baika no jutsu!**" Akimichi Chouza's fist began the size of the boy's chest and began delivering vicious blows to the defenseless boy's torso.

Naruto screamed out in pain as he felt his ribs being broken and mended just as quickly. His red chakra was working overtime to keep the boy in stable condition.

After what felt like an eternity, the giant ceased his pummeling, pleased with himself. As the Akimichi left, a man with long blonde hair passed him.

"Hello gaki, my name is Yamanaka Inoichi. My clan specialized in jutsu involving the mind. Let's see how much a demon like you can take!"

More pain flooded the already beat boy, this time in his head. He tried to grab his head but his body was still stuck due to the Nara.

"Does it hurt boy? Does it hurt like all those people you killed," the man yelled.

"AHHHH, stop it! I didn't kill anyone! I'm just a kid," Naruto pleaded.

Inoichi frowned. "Of course you did demon, you destroyed half the village!" He focused more killing intent on the boy, magnifying the mental torture he was going through.

"I DIDN'T KILL ANYONE! I SWEAR!"

"LIES," a woman screeched. Naruto vaguely saw a flash of pink hair before the woman began stabbing him rapidly.

"This. Is. For. My. Husband. And. My. SON!" With each word, she stabbed him harder. She finally grabbed the boy by the hair and slashed his throat.

Blood spilled out from the boy's chest and throat. Pain flooded the Uzumaki. Naruto used the last of the air in his lungs to scream in agony.

"I've done it," the woman yelled, her eyes wide like a lunatic, "I've killed the Kyubi! The Haruno clan will be famous once again! Everyone will love me and my Sakura!" The woman fell to her knees, hugging herself and smiling an insane grin.

The crowd erupted in cheers. The boy felt his consciousness slip away. When he awoke, he was in a sewer, standing next to giant metal bars that sealed part of the room off and shrouded it from view.

**"Back again, Kit?" **A demonic voice shook the room. A four-story tall demon slowly made itself visible.

" It's not my fault, there was a Nara and that bitch Haruno killed me."

"**You aren't dead, merely unconscious. You'll awaken soon, much to the mortals' displeasure."**

**"**So if I'm not dead now, probably a Hyuga or someone will finish me with a juken to the heart."

The Kyubi let out a laugh. "**I think not, Kit. After all, that clan is still in the debt of the tailed beasts, as you call us. Without the aid of the Nibi long ago, there would be no Byakugan."**

"Just like how without you, there would be no Sharingan," Naruto stated.

"**It looks like you aren't as dumb as I thought, excellent. I will not tolerate a weak vessel."**

"So, while we are waiting for me to wake up, I have a few questions for you, Kyubi-sama."

Kyubi once again roared is laughter. **"Such humility is unlike you and your kind, Kit."**

The Uzumaki just looked at him, stoic. "You have lived for at least ten-thousand years and are the most feared entity in existence. You have my respect for that, and my thanks for healing me, Kyubi-sama."

**"Very well. However, what happened to the loud dobe?"**

Naruto looked sad at this, and hung his head. "It was an act. I thought that if I failed and acted weak, the beatings would stop. Instead they've gotten worse. They think I can't defend myself. They think I'm weak."

"**Illusion is a necessity to the shinobi, kit. You should embrace that fact."**

Naruto shook his head. "No, I won't be weak. I won't give up. I will become respected."

"**How, kit? They hate you."**

"It doesn't matter. I have people to protect. Their hatred will not stop me from keeping them safe!"

"**So what, you want to be the Hokage,"** the Kyubi asked, chuckling in his terrible demonic voice.

The boy's eyes widened. "YES! That's exactly what I'll be. I'll show the entire village that a 'demon' can surpass them all! As Hokage, I'll protect Iruka-sensei, Ayame-neechan, and Teuchi-oji-san!"

"**Kit," **the demon said seriously, "**you've made an oath, something we demons, especially kitsune, do not take lightly. Protect them with your life."** The Kyubi looked toward the ceiling. "**Ah, you'll be leaving soon."**

Naruto looked livid. "But I didn't even get to ask you a question," he yelled. Naruto could feel his presence dissipating. He had maybe a minute.

"**You may ask one thing, and I swear on my honor I will answer truthfully."**

After looking at the fox and seeing no trace of deception, Naruto eased. "Thank you. I want to know why you attacked Konoha and who my parents were, if you have the information."

"**You are in luck, Kit, I know both. To answer the first, I was summoned. Second, your father was Namekaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage, and your mother was Uzumaki Kushina."**

"How do you know," the blonde asked, his body slowly fading away.

"**Simple, when one so powerful is defeated, one wishes to know the name of their opponent."** With that, the room faded away.

The first thing Naruto felt was the antagonizing pain he was in. He checked his body for wounds, but found none. That didn't help the blinding agony he felt. He stood up, seeing the mob walking away with their backs turned. Naruto figured that his conversation had taken up maybe a minute of real time.

'I'll remember my promise, Kyubi-sama. And I'll no longer be the dobe.'

The last Uzumaki stood up, tearing the remains of his blue shirt off. It would only hinder him. The boy was clad in nothing but black shinobi pants and black sandals. Naruto felt oddly calm. It was as if he knew, for the first time in his life, he would be safe from harm. He stared at the mob, his eyes focusing on their retreating forms.

"Hey," Naruto said in a deathly calm voice, causing the mob to freeze, "aren't you forgetting about me?"

The mob stood in shock, seeing the boy standing alive and well. "How are you still alive, you fucking monster," Inoichi spat, advancing on him. "You obviously need some more of my technique." The Yamanaka made a hand seal. Naruto's eyes flashed open for a moment, before retaining their determined expression.

Naruto raised his right hand, signaling for the man to stop his advance. "No." A wild wind began to form in the alley. "I am not the dobe you believe me to be. I won't be your fool, nor your punching bag any more."

The wind picked up, causing the villagers in the mob to be pushed slowly backwards. The shuriken that were stuck in the mud wall were shaking. The rocks in the alley slowly began to move. A dull roar of harsh wind echoed in the alley.

"What is this wind," a random chunin cried. "The hell with it!" He grabbed a large shuriken on his back and threw it. He watched in triumph as it flew towards the boy. "Die demon!"

The boy merely kept his palm out and concentrated, causing a gust of wind to stop it. The shuriken hovered, the points facing away from the blonde. With a flick of his wrist, the shuriken flew back, hitting the man sideways and throwing him and several others out of the alley. The blonde looked in shock as his body acted on instinct.

'It's like my body's acting on its own.' The wind picked up to such a degree that even the sparse shinobi in the remaining crowd had to focus chakra into their feet to keep standing.

The mob looked at the boy in fear. "RUN," the Haruno yelled, having stuck around by holding onto Akimichi Chouza., "THE DEMON WILL MURDER US ALL!"

The shinobi around them seemed to share her sentiment, and even the Nara and Akimichi left in a poof of smoke.

The wind in the alley died down. Naruto felt dizzy and exhausted. He felt darkness overcome him, but not before asking himself one question.

'How did I do that?'

A/N: Remember, and this is important, the nature manipulation he just did was an accident!


	2. New Friends, Vanquished Foes

**A/N: **I believe that jinchuuriki, or demon vessels, should by nature be somewhat more powerful. This is not just due to their tenant, but because their bodies and souls were strong enough to imprison their respective demons. In the last chapter, two clan heads fled from Naruto, who was ten. This, and this is also important, does not mean Naruto is stronger than them. He is currently faster and stronger than most villagers, due to his training, as well as most genin. And to put his taijutsu in perspective, he's slower than Rock Lee, but hits harder.

He may kick ass now, but Naruto is falliable. Also, some Naru/Hina stuff will happen this chapter, but it's just flirting. I want to hear what pairings interest you, and I will attempt to write accordingly. Note, I won't make Naruto gay, sorry ladies (and some guys). And Kyubi is a guy, so none of that either.

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**3 Years Later: Morning Before Genin Exams**

If anyone had wanted to bother the blonde _jinchuuriki_ known as Uzumaki Naruto, they would only have had to go as far as Team 8's training grounds in the woods of Konoha. But then again, not a soul in the hidden village would want to bother the boy, unless it was to shoot hated glares at the boy, or attempt another failed murder.

Yes, the last 3 years in the life of Uzumaki Naruto had gone by quickly since the incident in the alley. He often thought, while sitting under a tree, about that night. The night Kyubi had changed his life. Without the furball's words, Naruto figured he'd still be beaten as much and, possibly worse, would be the dobe of his class.

"NARUTO-KUN! I SHALL NOT LET YOUR YOUTH BE WASTED BY SITTING STILL! I, THE GREEN BEAST OF KONOHA, SWEAR ON THIS!" Without warning, a large green blur and a smaller green blur entered the training field. Both wore hideous green spandex with orange ankle warmers, and both sported large black bowl cuts.

"NARUTO-KUN," the clone of the older shinobi said, "YOU SHOULD FLOURISH IN THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH!"

Said boy felt his eyebrow twitching as the man ranted about the ludicrous acts he would perform if he was unsuccessful.

'Still, Gai-sensei has been helpful with my taijutsu training,' the boy mused. Naruto stood up and pointed to his training log, which had been reduced to splinters.

"Gai-sensei, Lee, I finished your exercise in 5 minutes, does that mean I pass?"

The taller shinobi, Maito Gai, reached into his chunin vest. "Naruto-kun, you PASS!" Gai stood in his good-guy pose, but instead of a thumbs-up, he held out something black.

"Naruto-kun, this is from both of us. You managed to tie Lee's best time of 500 kick and punches for each arm and leg! Your youth is an example for all!" Gai handed Naruto the bundle.

Said jinchuuriki looked at the bundle in his hand. "What is it?"

Lee looked at him with fire in his eyes. "Naruto-kun, this is the secret to our training! A taijutsu suit just like what Gai-sensei and I wear! Together we will show the world our youth!"

Gai stared at his pupil. "What an extremely youthful speech. Surely the springtime of youth will shine on us all!"

"Gai-sensei," Lee yelled, rivers of tears pouring down his face.

"Lee!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

The two embraced each other, crying. Had they chosen to look, they would have found their whiskered comrade to be long gone. Naruto appeared in a poof outside the Ninja Academy.

'Gotta love the **Shunshin no Jutsu**,' he thought to himself. He looked down at the black taijutsu outfit in his hands. 'It'd be rude not to wear it.'

Inside, few students had found their desks. A couple of kids Naruto didn't know the names of stood off in the corner, talking. When they saw him, they gave him the familiar glares that their parents taught them.

He walked to his seat, in the middle of the top row, that way he could pay attention to everyone, no one would surprise him. After 13 years of beatings, one learned how to stay in control of every situation.

Sitting below him was Aburame Shino, a tall black-haired boy with a high-collared grey jacket and sunglasses on. He wore black shinobi pants and black sandals. Several seats next to him and down one row sat Inuzuka Kiba, a loud boy with spiky brown hair and red fang tattoos on each cheek. His pupils looked slightly feral, as did his canines. He wore a grey, fur-lined hoodie and black shinobi pants and sandals. At his feet sat his white pup, Akamaru. Who was growling at a few bugs Shino had let roam loose.

The Aburame clan was notorious for their usage of kikai bugs in ninjutsu. His bugs literally ate chakra. Naruto heard from a conversation he spied on that Shino's clan would offer the bugs their chakra in exchange for their help, a contract with the bugs if you will.

The Inuzuka clan, however, was known as a boisterous, untamed clan. Their entire clan bred dogs and worked with their companions in battle. The Inuzuka had a naturally heightened sense of smell and hearing.

Naruto nodded mentally, approving of the useful data he had obtained about his comrades. His cerulean eyes shifted to the left of Kiba, where Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji sat. Naruto winced slightly, having never forgotten the Nara clan's shadow manipulation or the Akimichi clan's abilities to convert calories into ninjutsu, such as enlarging their bodies.

Thankfully he held no grudges against their children. Naruto figured that if he hated Shikamaru and Choji for what their parents did, he was no better than his peer who hated him because their parents did.

The door to the classroom opened, and in walked a girl with dark blue, almost black, hair. Two tendrils of hair framed her lavender eyes. She wore a tan hoodie and blue kunoichi pants, along with sandals. He instantly recognized her as Hyuga Hinata.

The Hyuga clan was known for their _kekkei genkai,_ the Byakugan. When activated, it could see nearly 360 degrees in all directions, and could also see through objects. He heard from Hinata that it also held the ability to see the body's _tenketsu,_ or chakra points, in which a ninja draws chakra from. This is the basis of the _jyuuken_ fighting style, also known as the gentle fist. It relied on internal damage and immobilizing one's opponents.

Naruto laughed inwardly. Thanks to Kyubi, the gentle fist was all but useless against him,

"Hey Hinata!" Said girl spun around, staring at the boy. "Would you like to sit up here with me?" He repressed a laugh as the girl blushed and nodded, not taking her eyes off the ground. She walked up and sat down next to him, trembling slightly.

"Come on Hinata," Naruto said, "what did we say about being shy."

The girl squeeked, nodding her head. "Gomen, Naruto-kun, I'll try harder."

Hinata felt someone placing their hands on her cheeks, raising her head up. To her surprise it was her crush, Naruto. He brought his face closer to hers. "Hinata," he said softly, "You have a caring family, except for Neji, some great friends, and you're becoming a strong heir. Walk with your head up!" Naruto gave her a fox-grin.

"Hai, Naruto-kun," Hinata said, despite her face resembling a tomato. Naruto let go of her face. The Hyuga heiress immediately hid in embarrassment.

In Naruto's mind, a chibi Kyubi clicked on a light bulb. 'Naruto you are a genius,' he thought. He turned to the girl, grinning.

"Hey Hinata," Naruto asked. Hinata turned back to him.

"Yes," she asked, pushing her pointer fingers together.

"I have an idea, it'll motivate us for the upcoming genin exam," he exclaimed loudly.

"What is it, Naruto-kun?"

He grinned even wider at her, looking more like a fox than should be possible. "Well, I was thinking. You aren't always so confident, so maybe you need some incentive." Naruto leaned in close enough that their noses were practically touching.

"O-oh, what were you thinking of," she asked, blushing hard. She became worried when she heard him chuckle.

Before the Hyuga could ask, Naruto brought a hand behind her head, tilting it just enough for him to claim her lips in a chaste kiss. Her lavender eyes widened in shock, and just as suddenly as it started, it stopped.

Naruto leaned away from her, licking his lips, causing Hinata to invent a new shade of red. "See? You didn't pass out! You have grown!"

Hinata buried her head back in her arms, hiding her face once more. Naruto leaned over, brushing his lips against her ear. "Pass the exam and you'll get another," he whispered.

Naruto was interrupted, however, by the sounds of two girls yelling.

"HE'S MINE!"

"NO, INO-PIG, HE'S MINE!"

"HE LOVES ME!"

"YEA RIGHT, WE'RE MEANT TO BE!"

The classroom door opened up to a black-haired boy with slightly pale skin, a platinum-blonde girl and a girl with pink hair. They would be Uchiha Sasuke, Yamanaka Ino, and Haruno Sakura, respectively. Naruto felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. While Shikamaru and Choji had proven to be nice enough people, unlike their parents, the Yamanaka and Haruno were just as vile as their parents, possibly worse.

The Uchiha made his way to the top row, sitting to the right of the demon vessel and the heiress.

'Fuck, fuck fuck. I just kissed Hinata and now these two bitches come to fuck it all up.' The blonde slammed his head on his desk, much to the confusion of the Uchiha and the concern of Hinata.

Any words of worry were cut off by the two girls, doing their best impressions of banshees.

"Monster, get away from Sasuke-kun," the Haruno screeched, shoving the boy.

'Stay calm, do not play into their hands,' he thought, sighing. "Haruno, can't you see that Hinata and I were sitting here first. Uchiha-san sat down next to me by will."

Sakura merely scoffed, returning his words with a glare. "Why would he want to sit next to filth like you?"

"Maybe he wants to feel even more superior than his Uchiha heritage already gives him," Ino replied, glaring as well. Naruto stiffened a little, mentally repeating to himself to be calm.

Sakura noticed his choice in attire. "What's with the black? Trying to steal Sasuke-kun's fame by acting like him? Face it, he's cooler than you'll ever be."

"And besides," Ino added, "the black spandex top makes you look dumber than usual." She spat on his chest.

'Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm.' Naruto looked at himself up and down. He wore the black taijutsu suit that Lee and Gai gave him, but he also wore black shinobi pants and sandals over top, to keep him from looking too much like them. "I'll have you know the taijutsu suit came from two people very precious to me."

The two girls only laughed. "Who would give you anything?"

"You obviously stole it!"

"Sakura-san, Ino-san, Naruto-kun hasn't done anything to you, please leave us alone." Hinata muttered.

The pair rounded on her. By now the entire class was looking at the girls. As they turned on the Hyuga, Naruto could hear the faint buzzing of kikai bugs and Kiba and Akamaru growling.

"Of course he has! Haven't you heard the villagers and the shinobi," Sakura yelled.

"Anyone who is called a demon and a monster by everyone must be evil," Ino shouted.

"My mother told me he killed a ton of people! She's always right!"

"And now he's drawing in Sasuke-kun! He's going to murder Sasuke-kun! Sakura, we have to stop him!"

"SHUT UP!" A voice rang out. The class was shocked to find the source of the voice to be Hinata, the quietest girl in the class. "Naruto-kun has never hurt anyone in this room! Has anyone seen Naruto-kun act like a demon or a monster?" The room was silent. "That's what I thought! He's kind and brave! He's none of the things you….sluts say he is!"

Sakura looked at her for a moment, speechless, before regaining her composure. "She's been tainted by the demon!"

Ino, with a clearly mad look in her eyes, pulled a hidden kunai out.

Naruto's eyes widened. "What the fuck, academy students aren't supposed to carry kunai or shuriken!"

"Consider it protection from the demon! DIE MONSTER!" Ino lunged forward, preparing to stab Naruto in the heart. Much to her misfortune, she left herself wide open to the Byakugan-wielding Hinata.

"Hakke," she yelled, turning in her chair and thrusting a palm out. It hit Ino in the stomach, causing the kunai to fly in the air. The fangirl was propelled backwards into the wall, where she slumped down.

To their surprise, a kikai swarm hovered over the girl. Shino, however, wasn't even looking at the action. "Yamanaka, I suggest you refrain from moving until Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei arrive, or I will not be held responsible for what my bugs do to you."

Ino coughed, a small stream of blood flowing from the side of her mouth. Hinata was still glaring at the girl with her Byakugan.

"If you ever try to hurt Naruto-kun again, I'll aim for a vital organ," she said with a deathly chill.

Much to everyone's confusion, she began laughing madly. "A ninja shouldn't forget their surroundings! SAKURA!"

Hinata turned to Sakura, who had caught the kunai Ino had dropped. Sakura grinned before throwing the kunai, its target being the forehead of Hinata. She shut her eyes, seeing the kunai flying towards her. She braced herself for her death. 'At least I got to kiss Naruto-kun.'

However, the pain never came. Hinata opened her eyes only to find them blocked by a black-clad arm. Stuck in the arm was a kunai. She instantly realized the situation. Naruto had moved close enough to her to wrap an arm around her head, taking the wound instead of the deathblow she would have.

Sakura smiled widely at the injured arm. "I've hurt the demon! Come, help me kill him," she yelled. The group of unknowns that Naruto had seen earlier ran to her side, along with a beaten Ino, who had managed to use Sakura's distraction to escape the threatening bugs.

Shino, Shikamaru, Kiba and Choji rushed behind Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke, who hadn't moved. He had merely marveled at the girls' insanity, which put his brother Itachi's mental state to shame.

"Sasuke-kun," the girls whined, "come over here. You belong with us."

The avenger shook his head. "You two are absolutely crazy. You both might kill me out of jealousy."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Naruto muttered.

"I'm used to troublesome women, not psychotic," Shikamaru nodded. "Anyone with any intelligence can see that Naruto is no threat."

Choji nodded, having put down a bag of chips for once in his life. "You two are a disgrace to this village, along with your clique of Naruto-haters."

"Haven't you heard anything our parents have said," Sakura screeched. "He's a fucking demon!"

Choji glared at the pack. "Of course I have, but Naruto is a good person. He even gave me a bag of BBQ chips for my birthday!"

The shadow user yawned. "As have I, but I don't take everything our parents say as truth. People can be wrong."

"Can the whole village be wrong, Shikamaru," Ino asked. "Everyone says he's a monster, and you defend him!"

Shino, who had been silent the whole time, coughed. The loud hum of bugs could be heard inside him. "The Aburame were called the same, fools."

The groups stood against each other, yelling curses back and forth. Finally, Sakura broke rank. "This is the demon's fault. He's corrupted you. Come on, kill him!" The group cheered before each grabbing a kunai or shuriken.

"You killed my dad!"

"Die you monster!"

"My mother couldn't kill you, I'll make sure I do it," Sakura yelled. The group charged.

Out from Shino's coat came a swarm of kikai bugs, which collided against a boy, taking him of his feet and pinning him against a far wall. He made sure his bugs didn't kill the boy, merely knocked him out. Kiba tackled another boy and began pummeling him.

Shikamaru, being the lazy person he is, merely used his jutsu to immobilize a girl. "Troublesome women," he muttered.

Choji knocked the remaining two out with a couple punches, he also gently knocked out the girl Shikamaru had trapped. "Idiots."

Sakura and Ino, who had been in the back of the group since the fighting, looked at their beaten group. "WHY ARE YOU PROTECTING HIM," Ino yelled.

Sasuke, in a rare moment of kindness, stepped forward. "We are supposed to be training to be Konoha ninja. We are supposed to carry the will of fire and protect our fellows."

"HE'S NOT A FELLOW KONOHA NINJA, HE'S A DEMON! WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT," Sakura screeched.

He snorted. "Because it's not there, you disgraces to the village. Stay away from me, because these Uchiha eyes will never recognize you as anything other than trash!"

Naruto stood, shocked. There were people fighting for him. So many people fighting for him, the village pariah, he felt overwhelmed. He felt a prickling at the sides of his eyes, where tears threatened to fall.

He looked at the clock. "Haruno, Yamanaka, time is up. Mizuki and Iruka-sensei will be here any minute. You wouldn't want any more explaining to do that is already due, hm?" Naruto gave them a confident smirk, enraging the two.

Sakura began forming hand seals slowly, showing her inexperience by having to focus so hard on each seal. "Forgive me Sasuke-kun, you'll be back to normal after all this is over. **Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu!**"

'Genjutsu!' They all thought. Ino and Sakura watched as Hinata began screaming. Sasuke was shaking, along with Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Naruto. Sasuke was holding his head, rocking back and forth.

In Sasuke's mind, he was reliving the night of the Uchiha Massacre.

_"Itachi...why," a younger version of himself asked._

_His brother only looked at him, emotionless. "To test…my ability." His brother's eyes began to change. The black tomoe moved together, forming a shuriken. __**MANGEKYOU SHARINGAN!**_**"**

In real life, Sasuke began to scream. Ino and Sakura walked over to him, they knelt down, both hugging him. "Shh, Sasuke-kun, this is what's best for you," Sakura said soothingly.

"Getting rid of the demon's influence is painful. We're sorry."

In the mind of Hinata, her worst nightmare had come to pass.

_"Daughter, you are weak! You cannot beat Hanabi, who is younger than you. For this, I strip you of the title of clan heir."_

_A small girl by her father's side smiled hauntingly. "Father, can we put the seal on her?"_

_Hiashi began making hand seals. "As you wish, heiress."_

_Hinata felt her father's hand strike her forehead, branding her with the seal. Her head exploded in agony._

The girls turned to Hinata, who was screaming. "Do you like it Hinata, this is the Haruno clan's favorite technique. It makes you live your worst nightmare. This is what you get for defending a monster." Sakura began kicking Hinata in the stomach.

Ino watched in bliss as all those who had defended the demon were now in pain. She bent down, picking up a kunai, before walking over to Naruto.

"Demon, now you die. You hurt half the class, and made us hurt the other half. You'll never stop, will you?"

In Naruto's mind, much to his surprise, he was with the Kyubi, who sat patiently in his jail.

**"Kit, you are fortunate."**

Naruto looked up at the fox. "How am I fortunate? I know that genjutsu, I've had it used on me before! They're suffering!"

**"As would you, but as I said, you are fortunate. I remembered the mental pain this technique causes and drew you in here before it could snare you."**

"Let me out now, I need to stop those two before they cause permanent damage!"

**"Kit, I will let you out, on one condition."**

Naruto swallowed hard. The Kyubi might not be sadistic, but he never did anything for free. Usually it benefited him in the long run, however. The fox was infinitely smarter than he could be.

**"You're going to become a shinobi, meaning you will have to kill. All I ask is that one of the whelps dies."**

**"**WHY! They don't deserve death! They should be locked up!"

**"The last Uchiha and the Hyuga are in agony. You remember, the Nibi and I made contracts with those clans. As demons we owe them protection!"**

"And if I don't," Naruto asked.

**"You forget who lives in your mind. It's such a fragile thing. Don't make me do something I do not wish to."**

Naruto began to sweat a little. The fox had a point. It was his mind, and although he was locked up, his mind could be tampered with while he was sleeping. Naruto shuddered to think of the things the Kyubi might make him dream.

"Deal. Send me back." Almost instantly, he felt his body disappear again. "Oh," Naruto said, his head just barely more than vapor, "I have an idea, you'll like it…" His voice trailed off, leaving the Kyubi to wonder.

In the real world, Ino brought the kunai down, aiming for the jinchuurki's neck. He was kneeling with his head to the ground, the perfect target. "Arigato, bakamono!"

Her hand was stopped by Naruto's which had pierced the kunai with his right hand. He grabbed Ino's hand, snapping the wrist in one motion and causing her to let go of the kunai.

"AHHH, my wrist! Sakura, you missed the demon," Ino yelled in terror.

"Impossible!" She stood up from cradling Sasuke, the twisted smile turning into a frown. She and Ino backed up, standing a fair distance from Naruto.

Naruto's ears caught the screaming of Hinata and Sasuke. Their faces were contorted in pain. He saw Shikamaru, Shino, Choji, and Kiba shaking madly. His hands formed the ram seal. "KAI!"

The screaming and shaking stopped. Naruto looked at everyone, to see them just barely holding on to consciousness.

"You guys, I'm sorry this happened. It's my fault, but I'll make it right." Naruto smiled softly and his fallen friends nodded. They each slowly slipped out of consciousness. He was unafraid however. He knew they'd be alright. Naruto frowned, turning to the two girls.

"As for you two, you've attacked 7 residents of Konoha for no reason, other than this so called demon that I am."

The girls frowned. "Why won't you die?"

He chuckled. "Because the good guys never lose. Haruno, allow me to educate you. Lesson one: Taijutsu. Style: Gyouken." In a flash of black and blonde, Naruto was gone. He reappeared in front of the pink-haired psycho. "A bitch like you needs to stay in her place." Naruto gave a backhand slap to the Haruno, causing her to slam into the wall and crumble. "Now stay on the ground like the trash you are."

Ino stepped back, slightly afraid. "You really are a monster!"

He gave a hollow laugh. "No, I just train, instead of worrying about love or looks, like you two. You two should be happy; you'd end up being killed on a mission anyway. Now you'll never be kunoichi."

"What the fuck do you mean, bastard," she spat, picking up a few discarded shuriken and throwing them at Naruto. She smiled when he made no effort to dodge.

The shuriken tore into his torso. Naruto winced a little, but was otherwise unaffected. "You see, you attacked not only me. But the last Uchiha, a Nara, a Hyuga, an Inuzuka, and an Akimichi. There are 9 members on the council, along with the Hokage. You think, after attacking the relatives of almost half of them, not to mention the Uchiha, they'll let you get any sort of training?"

He pulled out the shuriken. "I'll let you in on a little secret, in fact it's an S-ranked secret." Her eyes widened at this. "Want to know why I'm called a demon?"

"BECAUSE YOU ARE ONE!"

He shook his finger. "Wrong, I merely house one. But it has its perks. Look at my wounds."

Ino looked on in horror as red chakra came out of his body, healing it. "B-bakamono….what are you talking about," she screeched.

Naruto yawned. "The Yondaime Hokage couldn't kill Kyubi, since demons are naturally immortal. They only become mortal when sealed in a living being, and even then, they reincarnate. The tailed beasts are everlasting."

"So he sealed the demon in you?"

"Precisely! I knew we were getting somewhere. Now are you going to stop trying to kill me?"

A dark chuckle hit Naruto's ears. "And give up killing the Kyubi and bringing fame to the Yamanaka clan? There is no difference between holding a demon and being that demon! Your body still has a demon, so you must die!"

"And how do you propose to do that, my body is far too strong for you to defeat."

Ino smirked. "But your mind never gets stronger." Ino made a few seals. "Say goodbye to your mind, KYUBI!" Ino felt the familiar feeling of her soul being drawn into another's mind, where she could destroy it. There was a brilliant flash of white light, and then, shockingly, a demonic laugh.

Ino landed with a small splash. She looked around his mind. It was dark, impossibly dark, and it stank. It smelled like Akamaru's breath. She continued walking through the darkness.

"I've never seen a mind this dark in any of my training." Ino walked blindly before walking into a metal pole. Ino looked up from the ground, only to see giant steel bars. On the outside, she could see torches lining Naruto's sewer-like mind.

"It looks like I'm in some kind of cage. Perhaps it's a mental precaution," she asked herself. Ino attempted to walk through the wide openings in the bars, only to find her being thrown back by an invisible force.

"This doesn't make any sense. There's no reason to keep me locked in here." Then it hit her. "Unless….I'm not the one being….kept….in." She slowly turned around, only to meet a cold nose.

Ino felt her stomach drop. "I'm in the Kyubi's cage."

Red eyes opened in front of her and rows of giant white teeth began visible as the creature grinned. "**Very good, vixen, you are indeed as brilliant as the kit said you were," **Kyubi said sarcastically. **"I would have never believed the kit to be so intelligent. And to think,"** Kyubi put on a fake touched voice, "**he even remembered it's been so long since I had a meal. You might be all skin and bones, but you're better than nothing."**

The girl trembled. "Please don't eat me! I'll be good! I promise!"

Kyubi gave a harsh, barking laugh. "**HAHAHA, ignorant whelp, you bastards are even worse than we demons. Now, I suppose I should tenderize my meat first."**

Kyubi brought a paw down, nearly crushing her to death. Ino lay broken on the wet jail floor. "**Still alive? How perfect! I always like my meals to scream." **Kyubi licked his muzzle, before devouring his prey.

Outside of Naruto's mind, a few seconds after Ino had finished her jutsu, she let out a blood-curdling scream. He watched in indifference as she fell to the floor, never to move again.

The classroom door opened, were Iruka and Mizuki were flanked by several ANBU. "Naruto, what happened," Iruka yelled, "we heard screaming down the hall."

"Sakura and Ino attacked us with some of the other classmates. I'm sorry, but Yamanaka Ino is dead after a backfired clan jutsu."

The silver-haired chunin glared at the boy in fury. "Lies! He obviously tried to kill the entire class! ANBU, execute him on the spot!"

The ANBU, wanting any reason to kill the Kyubi brat, lunged forward, only to have them both stopped by a man in red and white robes and a wide hat. The man instantly knocked out the two ANBU. He snapped his fingers and 2 more ANBU arrived.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," they both shouted.

The Sandaime looked at the knocked out children, the dead Yamanaka, and the 2 unconscious ANBU. "As it is illegal for those under the age of 15 to be jailed, I, the Sandaime Hokage, hereby expel Haruno Sakura and her compatriots from the ninja academy, never to enroll again. I will send word to the Yamanaka clan about their loss, and as for these ANBU and Mizuki, arrest them both. I will sentence them later."

In a couple puffs of smoke, numerous more ANBU appeared, picking up the traitors and removing them from the site.

"Now, let's wake up these remaining ninja and give them their forehead protectors. I see no need for an exam; these children have shown us a will of fire like never before."

That night, Naruto lay in bed, thumb running over the polished metal of his new black forehead protector, which signified him as a ninja.

'What a horrible day. Kami-sama, hear my prayer. I don't care what happens to me, just let my precious people stay safe.'

Naruto, who was thinking about Sasuke and Hinata, who he would visit in the hospital tomorrow, was just about to fall asleep when two large rocks broke both the windows of his apartment.

Before he could act, and much to his horror, he saw several large wads of explosive tags follow the rocks into his apartment.

Naruto heard the tags begin to sizzle.

"Oh shit."

A/N: The current genin are such: Kiba, Choji, Shikamaru, Shino, Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke. Of course, Lee, Tenten, and Neji are also genin.

Pairings:

Hinata: 0

Tenten: 0

Fem. Haku: 0

Fem. Gaara (not too many of these, so I might give it a whirl): 0

VOTE


	3. Division of the Seven

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews. Anyway, I wanted to give a little more in depth detail. Yes, Sakura is going to be a pretty evil bitch. Though for right now, she's not going to be a threat. I mean, we're talking an academy student with a few genjutsu. For those who wanna know a little more about the hate our favorite vessel is taking, here's an explanation.

The villagers, having never truly known sacrifice or struggle, have no inclining of the type of burden Naruto carries. Therefore they see him as absolutely nothing more than a literal manifestation of their pain and suffering. Unlike in other stories, the villagers refuse to accept that there is any humanity to Naruto at all. To them, Naruto is literally a demon, they do not see him as human. Some of the weaker minded shinobi follow suit. (The Akimichi due to their addiction and dependence on food, the Yamanaka from decades of mind-altering techniques, and the Haruno because of their personality and social disorders. _Seriously, a second personality you talk to, punching people who care about you. The signs are there people._)

Let's see. Oh, and as some of you may have noticed, Naruto did survive a slashed throat. Kyubi's influence on his body can make almost all wounds heal with time. Short of decapatation, so long as Kyubi is connected to Naruto's brain, Naruto will more or less live. He'll just get beat up.

Also, right now, the main characters are Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata. They're gonna be in the spotlight until the chunin exams.

And to **MissNaye:** oddly enough, with what I have planned, that might actually work. Though seriously, that's not a bad idea at all.

* * *

**The Morning After: Office of the Sandaime Hokage**

The morning sun shone through the windows of the office of the Hokage, giving a soft glow to the crystalline orb that sat on his desk. He watched 7 genin as the walked through the hallway of a building. 3 boys with spiky black hair lead the way. The one on the right had a small white dog trailing him. The boy was easily recognized as Kiba. On the left was a tall boy with sunglasses, none other than Shino. In the middle was Sasuke, lone heir to the Uchiha clan. A large white and red fan symbol was displayed proudly on his black, wide-collared shirt, which was a stark contrast to his white shorts.

In the middle was a large boy with two large spikes of brown hair and swirls on his cheeks. He was eating a bag of chips. Choji, no doubt.

Most surprisingly, however, was the two in the back. The dark-haired girl and the boy with the dark spandex top, with black pants. Hyuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto. The old man chuckled as he watched Naruto brush a strand of hair behind her ear, the boy relishing in the embarrassment he was causing her. The boy only laughed and walked on with her.

They appeared to be an odd bunch, completely different except for they all sported immaculate konoha headbands, all clad in black cloth.

The group appeared in front of a large door. They stood apprehensively and glances shifted around them, as if asking for directions from their comrades. The Hokage watched as the blonde boy let out an exasperated yell and flung the doors open.

The Hokage smiled as the doors to his office flew open and the genin filed in. "Good morning Naruto," the old man said, smiling.

The boy grinned from ear to ear. "What's up old man?" Everyone except for Kiba, Shino, and Sasuke looked appalled at his manners. Kiba just laughed, Sasuke gave a small laugh disguised as a cough, and Shino did nothing that showed emotion as usual.

"Very well," the Sandaime said, "I will be straight with you. The highly _unusual_ circumstances of yesterday need to be explained for the record. As genin, you are required to follow an executive order such as this."

"The two bitches attacked Naruto, then us when we interfered. The one bitch used a genjutsu and when we woke up, the other bitch was dead," Kiba said, with all the eloquence of the Inuzuka clan. Hinata blushed at his description.

The Hokage, much to their surprise, let out a laugh before igniting his pipe and taking a long drag. "I assume you mean that Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura attacked Naruto without provocation? And that Sakura used a family genjutsu on you all, the **Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu, **from the testimony you all previously gave."

"That is correct, Hokage-sama," Shino said.

The old man sighed. "Surprisingly, that jutsu is dangerously easy to use. It requires little chakra, and is usually a D-ranked technique."

"That thing didn't _feel_ like a fucking D-ranked technique," Kiba yelled. "The things I saw, god they were awful." Kiba paled a little and shivered.

"Troublesome. Watch the way you talk around the Hokage, Kiba," Shikamaru yawned. He wanted nothing more than to watch clouds.

"Thank you, and no, it did not feel like a genin-level technique. Simply put, the effects of that particular jutsu show the victim their worst nightmares. Usually it is simply a vision, but in this case, enough killing intent was used to allow the physical nature of your tortures to become real."

"Wow," Choji said, having stopped eating, awestruck at the lunacy of the Haruno.

Naruto could not hold back the words any more. "That bitch is fucking crazy." He turned to Sasuke. "And how many times did you shoot her down?"

Sasuke looked up in thought, "About once a day for 3 years."

"How the fuck didn't she kill you then, she must really want those Uchiha babies, huh?" Naruto's words were met with a growl from the Uchiha, and a collective shudder from Shikamaru, Choji and Kiba. None of them wanted to picture sex with a domineering sociopath. Hinata, however, was running through that scenario with different actors. Primarily herself and Naruto, to which she blushed deeply.

"Hai, Hokage-sama, then when we awoke, Yamanaka Ino was dead. My byakugan couldn't find a trace of damage to her body, however. It doesn't seem like something Naruto-kun, or any genin could do."

"You are quite right," the Hokage said, nodding grimly, "however, there are a few ways for such a thing to happen. Most of the victims we have found in a state like Ino's were hunter-nins after Uchiha Itachi." Sasuke glared at the man's words, to which he paid no attention. "But I highly doubt an S-ranked criminal would travel into the village in order to kill an academy student."

"So, then what happened," Choji asked.

"It was most likely a clan jutsu that was performed and caused far too much mental strain. Mind transferring techniques are extremely dangerous, and when done in an improper mental state, or when insufficiently trained in the art, it can be fatal."

"So, that's that," Naruto said with a sense of finality. He didn't like how the old man's eyes lingered on him. It was like he knew something.

"Yes, there are more pressing matters, like your genin teams," the Sandaime said. "Due to the odd turn of events, there will be three teams still, only one will be a team of three, the others being partner groups."

"I take it we have been organized based on compatibility with our techniques," Shikamaru asked, gazing at the clouds out the window.

"Such a smart group of genin, you will go far."

"So, what team am I on," Naruto asked. "I need to know so we can start kicking ass."

A wrinkled hand reached to a scroll on his desk, which he opened. "Team 10 will be a partner group, comprising of Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji. There has been great success with the partnering of the Nara and Akimichi clans. I expect great things from you two." Choji grinned while Shikamaru just yawned. "Your sensei will be Sarutobi Asuma, you can meet him in your old classroom."

The pair departed, Shikamaru talking about shogi while Choji listened between bites of chips.

"Team 8 will be the only three man cell. It will be Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and Hyuga Hinata. Your sensei is Yuhi Kurenai, a genjutsu specialist. Please meet her at the following training ground." He handed Hinata a tiny scroll. She took in and bowed. The three filed out. Naruto watched with a small bit of jealousy as Kiba began talking with Hinata. He noticed his tiny canine eyes wandered up and down her developing body.

'I'll kill him,' he thought. Naruto continued plotting the murder of Kiba until the Hokage's voice pulled him from his stupor.

"I take it you don't need to be told who your partner is Naruto," the old man chuckled. "You and Sasuke will be Team 7, please meet your sensei on the roof. I told him to be here an hour ago, so he should arrive shortly."

Naruto and Sasuke walked out, officially a team. They made their way to the roof.

"So who do you think our sensei is," Naruto asked, attempting to elicit a response from the stoic Uchiha. He got nothing. "Oh come on, what happened to the Sasuke of yesterday who actually talked.

The Uchiha grunted. "You'll get my respect as a teammate when you prove yourself useful. Aside from knocking out the Haruno, I haven't seen anything worthwhile from you." Much to the avenger's surprise, Naruto smirked.

**"Kage bunshin no jutsu,"** he mumbled. A second Naruto appeared next to the real one. "How about this," he said, poking his clone, "a solid clone. This is a B-rank technique. That's jounin-level, genius." Naruto grinned triumphantly, only to have Sasuke throw a shuriken at the clone. The clone caught it with ease, twirling it on his finger.

"I didn't know you wanted to play catch," the clone said, laughing. His laughter was cut off however.

**"Katon: Gyokyaku no jutsu,"** Sasuke yelled. The real Naruto dodged the fireball, which sped towards the clone, obliterating it on contact.

"God, I swear your clones are more annoying than the real thing," Sasuke said, a faint smirk gracing his lips. "But maybe you aren't totally useless. We will see."

At this exact moment, a puff of smoke appeared between them. Out of the smoke came a tall man in standard jounin attire. He wore a blue mask which covered his nose and mouth. His forehead protector was slanted over his left eye. Spiky silver hair rose from his head.

"Nice to meet you two, I'm Hatake Kakashi, your new sensei," the man said, his one visible eye closing, the only way of telling he was smiling. "Alright, let's sit down and you guys tell me about yourselves."

"Why don't you show us how it's done, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said, plopping down on the ledge of the roof. He stretched his legs out and rested against the railing of the building. Sasuke grunted and sat down.

"Very well," Kakashi said, sitting cross-legged from the pair, "you already know my name. I enjoy doing things, and I dislike many other things. I also have dreams."

'Well that told us absolutely nothing," the pair thought.

"You next, blondie."

Naruto glared at the man. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I enjoy training and spending time with my friends. I dislike people who are rude, biased, or use other people as outlets for their pain." Kakashi winced at the blonde's words. "My dreams for the future are to discover who my parents are and to become the greatest of all the Hokages."

"Why," Sasuke asked. Naruto blinked at him a couple times, unsure if the Uchiha had actually spoken.

"To protect the people I care about and to be acknowledged by the village." He could see Kakashi's masked lips smile.

"Very good, and you," he pointed at Sasuke.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke. I enjoy training. I dislike being powerless. My dream is to revive the Uchiha clan. I also have a man to kill." 'Itachi.'

'I figured as much,' thought Kakashi. "Ok, now we're done for today, let's meet at training ground 7 for your genin exam at 10."

"What the hell do you mean you cycloptic retard, we all made a clone fine, we passed," yelled Naruto, standing up. Kakashi looked up at Naruto from his sitting position, only to disappear in a flash. He reappeared behind Naruto, putting him in a headlock.

"The test was to see who has what it takes to actually try the genin exam. There's a good chance that you will fail, so don't think that you all are hot shit because you made a clone."

"Let go of my fucking head," the demon vessel yelled.

"Not before you get your punishment." Sasuke looked at the jounin in interest as his eyes lit up. "Prepare yourself! NOOGIE!"

Sasuke could only look in utter disbelief as their sensei grinded his fist into the top of his teammate's head.

"OW! That hurts asshole!" Naruto took the opportunity to deliver an elbow to the jounin's ribs. Luckily for Naruto, Kakashi let him go.

"As I said, meet at training ground 7, and don't eat breakfast, because you'll just throw it back up." Kakashi left in a puff of smoke.

The pale boy looked at his whiskered comrade. "If we're expected to be a team, let alone a pair, we need to work on our teamwork. We need to be even stronger since we'll be facing 3 man cells during missions most likely."

'Smart idea, Sasuke.' "Let's go to that training ground Kakashi-sensei mentioned." They both leapt off the roof, landing hard on their feet. They began the walk towards their new training grounds.

"So what do you know, Sasuke," Naruto questioned, realizing he knew nothing about the Uchiha or his skills.

"I specialize in fire jutsu. As you know, my grand fireball, or **Katon: Gyokyaku no jutsu **is my favorite of all the katon jutsu. It sends a speeding ball of flame towards a target. I also know **Katon: Hosenka no jutsu**, which fires many smaller balls of flame at a target. I can also hide shuriken in the flames. I'm currently working on several more."

"That's pretty cool,' he said, impressed that his partner knew 2 chunin-level jutsu.

"How about you, Naruto."

The blonde blinked. "Huh?"

Sasuke smirked. "I asked what jutsu you know."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I didn't think you'd want to know."

"We're partners, I should know. Besides, there are chunin exams in July, we have to know each other inside and out in order to win."

'I actually might like working with this guy.' "Hm, well I know several wind jutsu, since they don't require much chakra control. I know **Futon: Daitoppa**, which is mostly just a large gust of wind that levels an area. Right now it can uproot maybe a half-acre of woods."

"What else," he asked, intrigued.

"**Futon: Renkuudan,"** Naruto said solemnly. Sasuke's cobalt eyes widened.

"Where have I heard of that technique?" He was surprised to see Naruto looking nervous.

"Well, it kinda belongs to Shukaku, the one-tailed Tanuki." This bit of knowledge blew Sasuke back.

"You learned a technique that a DEMON uses? Are you insane?"

He scratched his head. "I've only used it like once, in training. And last time I used it I was bed-ridden for a week from chakra exhaustion. It's my last resort jutsu." 'Damn furball, why couldn't he have taught me something less suspicious?'

"So pretty much I can count on you firing a giant ball of wind if we're about to get killed?"

"More or less. I also got down **Futon: Daikamaitachi** which lets me make slicing whirlwinds. It's great for chopping down trees. Oh, and I know **Kage bunshin** as you know. It was a birthday gift from Iruka-sensei one year. He saw I suck at low-level techniques, so he taught me this. I'm working on making them blow up."

Sasuke nodded. "So we both have two useable jutsu and your clones, and since wind jutsu compliment fire, our combined attacks will be more powerful. Oh, and if you're going to use Shukaku's move, carry a few chakra replenishing pills, so you can at least move."

"Deal, now how about taijutsu. I know most of the _goken_ style of taijutsu and try to incorporate it into my own taijutsu. And forget about genjutsu, I suck."

"I dislike genjutsu, and I have a custom taijutsu passed from the Uchiha clan."

They arrived at the training ground, where three logs were set up. They also saw a small pond surrounded by woods.

"Alright," Naruto grinned, "let's see what damage we can do."

The newly appointed Team 7 began training. As Kakashi nursed what he found to be a broken rib from Naruto's elbow, he had no idea the pain he was about to be inflicted when he gave his bell test.

* * *

So there we go, those are the techniques you can expect. Also, a lot of Tean 7's strength is going to come from teamwork. They are both exceptional genin, and while they won't be taking down any jounin soon, anything in the mid-chunin level range is gonna be a good fight.

Pairing votes:

Hinata: 3

Tenten: 1

Temari: 1

Fem. Haku: 1

Fem. Gaara: 2

First to 15 wins.


	4. The Drunken Bridge Builder

**A/N: **Hm, after much thought, I have decided on the pairings. I decided that the Hinata voting would win anyway, since they're smoking the competition. I also like the Fem. Haku and Fem.Gaara ideas, so I'm going to make them characters. If they end up with anyone, who knows. Anyway, I'm showing a bit more of the bond of Sasuke and Naruto. Couple of things. Sasuke is not going to ditch Konoha. Sakura will be one of the main villains. Orochimaru will have a smallish part. Here's a rundown of the basics of the characters:

Naruto: 13, blond hair, blue eyes, whisker-like birthmarks on cheeks. Wears black taijutsu suit (think Lee/Gai suit, but black), along with black shinobi pants, shuriken/kunai pouch, and black sandals. Konoha headband has black cloth, tied same way as normal. Insane stamina. Has large chakra reserves, chunin level taijutsu and ninjutsu, nonexistant genjutsu. Is also a couple inches taller due to not eating ramen all the time. (It's part of him not acting like so much of an idiot) Chakra affinity: wind

Sasuke: 13, black hair, black eyes. Wears exact same outfit as in the manga, but his shirt, headband, piping on arm warmers, and sandals are black. Acts and thinks more openly, see's the benefit in working as a team for his goals. Still wants to axe murder Itachi. Chunin level taijutsu and ninjutsu, above average stamina. Chakra affinity: Fire

Hinata: 13, dark dark dark blue hair, lavender-tinted eyes, byakugan. No change in the outfit except for black pants, sandals, and headband. Is slightly more vocal and outgoing due to the Hyuga not being as mean. Neji is still a prick, however. Knows no ninjutsu, proficient in jyuken style of taijutsu, lacks killing intent to use genjutsu effectively. Has slightly more developed body than most girls her age.

Kiba: 13, no change except for black headband. Proficient in clan ninjutus and taijutsu.

Shikamaru: 13, no change except for black headband. Average taijutsu, extensive knowledge of clan jutsu, no genjutsu.

Choji: 13, no change except black headband, black pants, and black sandals. Slightly above average taijutsu, proficient in clan jutsu.

Shino: 13, no change except black headband. Is slightly more talkative. Below average taijutsu, excellent use of kikai bugs and clan jutsu, several genjutsu.

Fem.Haku (when she appears): 15, wears same clothhing as before. When not in hunter-nin disguise, wears black shinobi pants and sandals, light blue skintight, longsleeved top, and black ANBU-esque vest. Weilds a kekkei genkai allowing ice manipulation. Weak taijutsu, excellent ninjutsu.

Fem.Gaara (when she appears): 13, has long red hair with same unkept texture, is pulled back into 2 ponytails. Wears white shinobi cargo pants, no shuriken pounch. Wears red beater with a white vest. (The vest is identical to the one Gaara has in his part 2 style, which is attatched to his gourd.) Has a thin, atheletic build. (Meaning like a b-cup chest and some, but not very feminine curves like Hinata.)

* * *

**2 Months after Graduation**

"Sasuke, do you have a visual on the target," said Kakashi's voice through a wireless earpiece.

"Yes, the target is approximately 25 meters away north of my position."

"Affirmative, Naruto, I want you to engage and capture our target and confirm his identity."

"Not a problem," said Naruto. "Give me 10 seconds." Naruto silently whispered his favorite technique, instantly causing 4 copies of him to appear. "Alright, you know the drill, this time scare him a little." He signaled for the clones to engage.

In a flash, four copies of Naruto had a ginger cat by each of its paws, holding the nuisance away from them. "Got the bastard," one said.

"Good, now let's make sure he doesn't do this again, I'm tired of chasing this damn cat around," another said. The procession of Naruto clones began tossing the cat high in the air, casing it to mewl in fright. Kakashi and Sasuke entered the scene, staring at the odd situation of four clones tossing a cat back and forth.

"Ahem," Kakashi coughed. "Are you quite finished?"

The real Naruto only grinned, "Just about. Hit me," he said, motioning to the clone that just caught the poor cat. The clone tossed the cat to Naruto, who, instead of catching the cat, put it in a bag. The clones disappeared and he began walking towards the center of Konoha.

"Hey, are you guys coming?"

"Idiot, you do know our mission is to catch and bring that cat back unharmed, don't you," questioned the Uchiha.

He scratched the back of his head, not paying attention to the snarling cat trying to claw its way out. "Oh he's fine, he's just scared. Hopefully this'll teach him a lesson. If not, I'll just have to learn water walking and do it over a river."

His partner and sensei just shrugged. Such was the norm when Uzumaki Naruto was on your team. Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves, forcing the pair to walk the long way to the Hokage tower, Sasuke wishing he knew the **shunshin no jutsu.**

"Hey Sasuke, think we can get a better mission? Maybe a C-rank," the hyperactive blonde asked, opening the tower's doors loudly.

Sasuke scratched his cheek in thought. "I suppose we could ask, since we do have more D-ranked missions completed than the other two rookie genin cells combined."

"And if not, go on a rant about how the last Uchiha isn't being challenged enough to be the best he can. The council fucking loves you."

That was true, the Uchiha thought, the village council did treat him with an overwhelming amount of bias. Or as Naruto put it: _they have a hard-on for the sharingan._ 'Baka.'

"But they hate you, for reasons you've yet to tell me." Naruto's face darkened, becoming a mix of anger and fear.

"I'll tell you another time, understand it's something that I can't tell just anyone."

"It is fine, I can wait."

Team 7 walked into the mission room. At a long desk sat the Hokage, Iruka, and a pair of chunin that Naruto did not recognize. One was chewing on what appeared to be a senbon, however. Naruto walked proudly to the Hokage.

"Mission: Rescue Missing Cat complete," he said.

A cloud of tobacco smoke hovered around the brim of the Hogake's hat. "And where, dare I ask, is said feline," looking at the slightly struggling bag in Naruto's hand.

He reached into the bag and pulled out a very afraid and shaking cat, "Right here. I don't think he'll be leaving home anytime soon."

"MY CAT," an oddly deep feminine voice yelled. To Naruto's horror, the land monster better described as the diayamo's wife charged towards him. He braced for impact, but only felt her meaty arms snatch the cat away from him.

"Oh thank you so much! I don't know what I'd do without my little Tora," she wailed, squeezing the cat. As miserable as that cat was, he definitely looked relieved to be in hands other than the blonde's.

'Squeeze it a little tighter, come on.' The diayamo's wife did not crush the cat to death in her arms, much to his dismay. 'Don't run away again, or I'll test out my new jutsu on you,' he thought.

"So," the Hokage asked, "what mission do you want? I have babysitting, trash-collecting, painting a building…"

"FUCK THAT! We're too good to be doing stuff like this, give us a challenge old man," Naruto yelled. Just at that moment, Kakashi arrived via jutsu.

"What'd I miss," he asked, before burying his face in a tiny orange book.

"Naruto, with his limited vocabulary, just asked for a higher ranked mission," Sasuke said. 'He got the point across.'

Kakashi sighed, "Look Naruto, you guys have been genin for two months, and even though you did admirably well with my bell test, I don't want you thinking of doing C-ranked missions."

A voice to the Hokage's left coughed. It was Yamanaka Inoichi, the council member who, by law, must be present for every mission assignment. The representative varied, and much to Naruto's luck, it happened to be the father of the girl he killed.

'Well, I didn't really kill her, Kyubi did, but they don't need to know I had any involvement. And it's not exactly a bright idea looking into the mind of a so-called demon.' Naruto shifted uncomfortably under the gaze of a man who looked ready to tear the boy limb from limb if he so much as coughed.

Inoichi glared at the boy. "Someone as lowly as you would do well to watch their tongue, demon." Naruto simply glared at the man.

"I will not tolerate such talk in my presence, Inoichi. You'd do well to remember that," the Hokage spoke.

"My apologies, Hokage-sama, I merely meant that someone who is as much of a liability as the Uzumaki," he spat the name out like it had a bad taste, "should not be taking such risks." 'Then again, he could get killed, which would be good for the village.'

"I am not a liability, I'm the strongest genin in our year, no offense Sasuke," he said, turning to his teammate and muttering an apology. Follow was a pointed glare that clearly said "go with it."

Sasuke caught on and cleared his throat. "Yamanaka-sama, may I speak," he said, bowing courteously.

The Yamanaka's eyes turned to the boy, and immediately became pleasant and caring. "Of course, Sasuke, go right ahead."

He gave a tiny smirk, not missed by Kakashi or Naruto. "Naruto is the strongest genin currently, but I believe that is because he was initially the strongest. I've always been second best, but I am closing the gap rapidly. I only wish to be given a more challenging mission to test myself and possibly awaken the sharingan eye."

"Your points are valid, however, your partner is a liability and dangerous."

Naruto gave a small laugh. "He's right, just ask the Haruno about that."

The man's face blotched with anger. "You will watch your mouth, brat. You should consider yourself lucky, being paired with the Uchiha."

"How so," Naruto challenged before the Hokage or Kakashi could say anything.

"Even a run-down, _condemned_, house looks good at first when next to a mansion. But eventually it's seen for what it is, complete and utter garbage. Something not even worth bothering to look at."

The jinchuuriki let out a small growl. "I wonder how that's going. Why don't we ask Ino, after all, she hasn't been doing much looking lately, am I right?" To the man's fury, the boy grinned.

The council representative snapped, "I'LL KILL YOU FOR KILLING MY DAUGHTER!" However, before he could move, two ANBU had their swords pointed at the man's neck.

"Inoichi," the Hokage said, killing intent rolling off him in waves, "leave this chamber at once and do not come back. Allow the other council members to act as a representative." Furious, the angered clan head left, glaring daggers into the boy.

"Naruto, you should know better than to provoke a clan head," Kakashi said seriously.

He scoffed. "Why, it's not like their mind techniques will affect me."

"You said you wanted to be Hokage," the old man said, "this means forging strong bonds with the clans. You have, in your short time as a genin, managed to destroy any chance of gaining the Yamanaka clan's support."

"He has a point, idiot," said Sasuke.

"Oh shut up," Naruto then turned his attention back to the new mission, "so how about a better mission?"

The old man sighed. "Very well, if it get's you out of my hair, I'll give you an escort mission." He rummaged through the pile of C-ranked missions, ignoring the boy's celebrating. Finally, he came across the scroll he wanted.

"Your mission is to escort a bridge builder, Tazuna, to the Land of Waves. You may or may not encounter thieves. You are to escort him and protect him until the bridge he is building is completed."

"Are you certain about this, Hokage-sama," questioned Kakashi. He knew his team was good, but he didn't want to think about what could happen if his team wasn't prepared. He didn't want more dead teammates on his conscience.

"Consider this a test, if you perform well, more C-ranked missions might be available. Will someone get Tazuna, please?" The two chunin behind the Hokage walked out the door. They returned quickly with an unkempt man who smelled of sake.

"Who the fuck are these two kids? Am I supposed to trust my life to two brats," Tazuna said, taking a large gulp of sake from his bottle. Naruto quickly became annoyed with the man.

"Sir," Naruto said bitterly, "we are both the strongest shinobi our age. We promise to protect you with our lives."

"That is correct," Sasuke continued, "and we also have the most skilled ninjutsu-using jounin in the village, Hatake Kakashi, as our sensei."

"Tazuna-san, you are in more than capable hands, I assure you," Kakashi said, eye curling, the only way of telling he was smiling.

The old man merely took another swig of his liquor. "Fine, but I want a third ninja assigned to the group for more protection."

"Why," Naruto asked. There was no need for more than 2 genin for protection from thieves. Across from him, Sasuke thought the same.

"Hey, I'm the goddamn client, so what I want, I get," the old man yelled. "Now find another ninja."

The Hokage looked at the scene and sighed, "Very well, meet at the eastern gate at 1. Team 7, you have until then to find a suitable partner." They nodded and turned to leave. "Oh, and Kakashi, be on time, it's an order."

Naruto and Sasuke left their sensei behind, leaping causally down the flights of stairs to the ground level. They then began walking the streets. Sasuke immediately noticed a significant change than from when they walked at night. In the day, there were villagers.

He was surprised to see the villagers, who looked on him with nothing but admiration and praise, give the most disgusting looks to the boy beside him. He didn't know how Naruto did it, but the boy just ignored them. A couple of times, people would throw rocks or bottles at the boy, who would just catch them and toss them aside.

'Just why does everyone hate you?'

"So, who should we get for the mission, Sasuke?" Naruto already had a few ideas, but wanted the Uchiha to collaborate with him.

"First of all, Tazuna was lying. He didn't like a paranoid person, so why would he ask for another escort?"

"Simple, because the people he wants protection from aren't just thieves."

He nodded, "My thoughts exactly, Naruto." 'The idiot sure has come a long way. He really isn't such a bad teammate after all.'

"So," the Uzumaki started, "I was thinking we need someone who is good at scouting, since we could be ambushed in theory."

"Smart. I think Team 8 is specializing in tracking. I'd probably be best to choose from them. Any idea where they'd be?" Naruto only grinned.

"Nah, but let's find out. **Taiju kage bunshin no jutsu!**" He yelled out the jutsu as he made the cross-shaped seal. Suddenly, 249 clones appeared. Sasuke stared at his partner with slightly wide eyes.

The clones left in a flash. "Naruto?"

"Yeah."

"You just made almost 250 shadow clones at one time, when a normal jounin can make about 20."

"Your point?"

"I'm looking forward to the talk we're going to have soon," Sasuke replied. Just how he had such massive chakra, and yet such terrible control, astounded the boy.

'That makes one of us.'

Naruto and Sasuke walked to a sushi bar and sat down. Sasuke listened to his partner's whining about it not being ramen, but he told him that if he wanted to get taller, he'd have to eat right. As they sat down, a waitress who looked about 20 came over.

"Welcome, how are you today, Uchiha-san," the pretty young woman said.

"Very well, thank you. My teammate and I are just getting some food before we go on a difficult mission, and your restaurant's sushi is the best in Konoha," the Uchiha said, flashing a smile that caused the girl to stare at him with hearts in her eyes.

"T-thank you very much, it's always nice to have people such as yourself enjoy our food. What can I get for you and….your…" Naruto gulped, she had just seen who Sasuke's partner was.

"Uchiha-san, forgive me, but we cannot serve your guest," she said, the happy girl from before replaced with an uncomfortable glance at the boy.

"May I ask why," he said, seeing the small twinge of pain in Naruto's eyes.

The girl glared at Naruto before turning back to Sasuke. "We are allowed to refuse service to anyone, and it would not look good to serve a de-."

Naruto shivered a little, feeling the killing intent coming from his partner. The girl, being a non-ninja, was positively terrified. "Who I am partnered with reflects on myself, so calling Naruto a demon is also an insult to me."

The waitress shook her head, bowing. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, it's how our owner refers to him. We were all told never to serve him food. My apologies, Uchiha-san, but I cannot serve him, I'd lose my job."

The Uchiha sighed. "Very well, we will sit at the end of the bar, near the corner. I'll have some oolong tea and the special of the day. I will also have…" Sasuke turned to Naruto, nodding. He caught on.

"Green tea and the special."

"And green tea and the special, after all, it's an important mission and I'll need my strength," Sasuke said, smirking. The waitress bowed and walked off. She came back quickly with two small pots of tea and Japanese tea cups. They each poured their own.

"Sasuke," Naruto said, looking at his tea, "why'd you help me?"

The dark-haired boy stared at his whiskered partner, for once appreciating the look of pain in the boys blue eyes. He remembered his mother telling him that eyes are windows to the soul. If that was true, then Naruto's soul was crying, even if he wouldn't allow his body to.

"We have to look out for each other. We've spent the last 2 months together every day, becoming a perfect compliment to the other."

"You know," Naruto started, sipping his tea, "I'd given up hope." The jinchuuriki's voice held such sadness to it that Sasuke could do nothing but pity him.

"I never had anyone. Since as far back as I could remember, people would glare at me, throw things at me, and attack me. Don't ask why, cause I won't tell you."

"Very well."

Naruto drained his cup, poured another, and began sipping it. "Even though I never had anyone, I always hoped someone would notice me. Finally, after years of pain, I found a person who acknowledged me. The Hokage had always been on my side, but he's a busy man. The first person who really accepted me was Iruka-sensei."

He drained another cup of tea and filled it once more.

"It felt so good to have that one person. It was like, even though everyone else hates me, there's still this one little glimmer of hope, you know? Then, soon enough, I met Hinata."

"Hm, what's so special about that girl," Sasuke asked, intrigued.

"You see it, don't you? She's shy, but she came up to me one day and began talking to me. Me, the demon shunned by the entire populace of this village. That showed me that she really wanted to get to know me, and be my friend."

Sasuke filled his cup up. "So, you're going to ask her out?" He smirked as Naruto sprayed his tea.

"What kind of question is that? I'm being all serious and you say something stupid! And you call me the idiot!"

"So I take it that's a no?"

Naruto thought for a minute. "I suppose I might. She gives me the emotional support I need. She's the only one like that."

The waitress came over with their sushi, which they promptly devoured. They both ate extremely fast, but Sasuke with much more grace and finesse than his partner. Sasuke left some money, enough for a generous tip. They walked down the street.

"Ok," Naruto said, "the clones should have located Team 8." He put his hands in a ram seal. "Kai!" All over Konoha, small shadow clones were dispersed. Some had already been taken care of by rocks thrown by the villagers. Naruto was kind of thankful; it lessened the acute headache he was getting.

"They are on a bridge by the aqueduct, we should be able to get to them in a few minutes."

"I'll race you," said Sasuke.

"That's so immature, I can't believe you'd want to waste our training by…GO," the blonde boy jumped to the top of a roof, leaping on all fours between buildings.

'Cheater. He knows I'm faster though.' Sasuke smirked before speeding up the same path Naruto was blazing.

Meanwhile, Team 8 just finishing up their debriefing.

"Have a nice night you guys, I'll see you all bright and early," a red-eyed woman in a dress of bandages said. She walked off gracefully.

"Peace, I'm out," Kiba said, "Later Hinata, Shino." He and Akamaru ran off towards the Inuzuka compound.

Just then, two blurs, one black and one black with blonde appeared before them.

"DAMN IT, HOW ARE YOU SO FAST," Naruto yelled, startling Hinata and almost causing Shino to raise an eyebrow.

"Hn, you're stronger. You can't have both."

"Who says I can't, I want it all," Naruto said loudly. He then blinked and turned, realizing that he and Sasuke were arguing in front of Shino and Hinata. "Yo."

"To what do we owe the pleasure, Uchiha-san, Uzumaki-san," Shino said politely.

"We have a C-ranked mission to escort a bridge builder to Wave, but he wants another escort." Understanding flew from the two to the remainder of Team 8.

"You think that he might be lying," Shino said. "Probably to save money."

"You got it," Naruto said, "and we figure we might need someone with a scouting speciality. We thought of you guys, but since Kiba isn't here, I guess it's you two. You game?"

'The mission sounds dangerous, but I don't want Naruto-kun to think I'm weak. Maybe I should ask Shino.' The heiress was brought out of her thoughts by the boy she was seeking potential advice from.

"I cannot. I will be occupied with training with my clan that cannot be abandoned. I am sorry," Shino said. "I wish you the best of luck."

"So Hinata, will you do it," Naruto asked. 'Please say yes, I want something to look at besides Sasuke. He's not exactly my type.'

"If you think I'm right for the task, I will, Naruto-kun." She was doing well at keeping eye contact while talking, but her eyes fell to the ground when Naruto looked troubled.

"Hinata, look at us." The girl raised her head to look at Sasuke and Naruto. "If you don't think you are ready, say so. You're too important to take a risk like this if you aren't prepared," Naruto said.

'He thinks I'm important! Oh god…but am I strong enough? I don't know.' Sasuke seemed to sense her apprehension.

"It's alright, we will find someone else if you are unsure, come on Naruto," he said. Naruto nodded and followed, but not before turning back to look at Hinata.

"It's a shame, we really haven't seen each other too much. I was looking forward to it. But hey, let's get together when I get back."

At the words "get together" Hinata blushed. 'No, I should try. There is Naruto, Sasuke, and their sensei to help me if I need it.'

Hinata ran off after the slowly disappearing pair. She appeared in front of them in a purple blur, making the two wonder how fast she really is. "Naruto-kun, Sasuke-san, wait. I'll accept the mission. Tell me where to meet you and I'll be there."

"East gate at 1, and here," Sasuke tossed her a small scroll, "it's a sealing scroll for your pack and equipment. Carrying things on your back will only be a burden to your jyuken."

"See ya at 1, Hinata-chan," Naruto said before the pair left.

As the girl packed her things and walked to the eastern gate 2 hours later, she only thought one thing. 'He called me chan!'

She walked to the gate, to see Team 7 minus their sensei and a drunk-looking man waiting.

"Hey look," Tazuna said, "it's a girl. Why don't you come over her miss, I've got time." His voice carried to her, which made her blush. Sasuke covered the man's mouth and whispered in his ear.

"Tazuna, our mission is to protect you. That girl, aside from being about a quarter of your age, is the third member of our team. Also, if you want to live, I'd suggest watching your drunken comments, because if you piss Naruto off, Kakashi and I won't be able to save you."

The builder looked to the blonde boy, who looked about ready to give Kyubi another meal. If only he knew how to get Tazuna in his head. His murderous rant was brought to an end by Hinata giving him a hug.

He felt himself oddly comfortable with Hinata burying her head in his chest. He noticed that her ears weren't red, meaning she wasn't feeling embarrassed like usual.

"Hey Hinata, what's up," Naruto said, running a hand through her hair.

The Hyuga girl just looked up at him, before getting on her toes and giving him a small kiss. Sadly, at that moment Kakashi showed up.

"So is this the reason you chose Hinata," asked Kakashi, sneaking up behind the pair. Naruto's eyes turned into saucers while Hinata stood defiantly.

"I was thanking Naruto-kun for trusting me with this mission, and as someone who doesn't have much contact with people, I thought a kiss would be most appreciated," glared the girl, byakugan blazing.

Kakashi cowered slightly. "My bad, my bad. I'm Hatake Kakashi, Team 7's sensei. It's 1, let's get going." The girl blushed when she saw him brandish a porn book and began reading it while walking. "I'll take the lead, Tazuna stays in the middle. Sasuke and Naruto, you flank the old man, and Hinata search the surroundings with your eyes periodically from the back."

"Yes, the first time out of the village, see ya later losers," Naruto yelled, giving the middle finger to the few villagers walking by.

'Hm,' thought Hinata, 'maybe this won't be so bad.'

* * *

A/N: Land of Waves arc finally is begining. Tazuna isnt a pedophile, just hammered. Honestly, it happens to the best of us. And no, Hinata and Naruto aren't going to be going at it anytime soon, nor becoming a couple. They're just flirting, testing the waters if you will. They're becoming much more comfortable with each other as they mature, which is what happens when you're now expected to put your life on the line every day. 

Oh, and for Gaara, she's not gonna be as indestructable as Naruto, i.e. you'd have to tear out his heart or chop of his head to kill him. Nah, she's just gonna be able to heal most major wounds. But that throat cut Naruto took would have iced her.


	5. Hinata's Innocence Lost

**A/N: **a few things. First off is a complaint about the fic being too over the top. I appologize, but this is how I want my story to be. It's going to be unrealistic in many ways. The hatred Naruto faces is going to be much worse that anything in the manga. The majority of characters are NOT going to be allies to Naruto, nor are they going to be nice. Tazuna is going to be almost as bad as Gato.

And as for why Sakura and the others weren't executed. I already stated that the Hokage could not execute a bunch of 13-year-old non-ninja. The Hokage's power extends to ninja and military, not civilians, which academy students are. Yes the Hyuga heir was attacked, but the council's hatred for Naruto and anyone who would stick up for him is greater than protecting the heiress. After all, there is always Hanabi.

Also, when Naruto said he wanted to know his family, I meant he wanted to know who they were as people, not their identities. My bad on that one. Occasionally changing Naruto canon causes little lapses in thought. I am sorry for that.

Here's something to remember. Haku is a girl, and has no loyalty to Zabuza other than he protected her and could kill her. Yes, the ice kekkai genkai is strong, but don't expect it to kill a jounin yet.

Final thing: Naruto and Hinata still are not gonna be dating anytime soon. Anything that happens between them could be surmised as experimenting, even though Hinata does love Naruto.

If I miss anything, screw up, or the like, hit me up. And yes, I forgot that Naruto knew shunshin...my bad, im editing it.

* * *

**Land of Wave Mission: Day 1**

Kakashi stood in front of the entire group, reading Icha Icha Paradise. It had been a day since they had begun traveling from Konoha, and were making good time. At this rate, Kakashi figured they could be in Wave by the following morning. He made a mental note to force Naruto to rest. The boy had stayed up the entire night, watching over camp. He was just that dedicated to the mission being a success. Kakashi knew the boy must be physically exhausted from not sleeping, but Naruto didn't seem different at all.

He remembered waking up to the very distant sounds of training. A faint chorus of Naruto voices could be heard if one listened closely enough. He figured that Naruto had made a couple hundred clones, and they had trained through the night while the real one watched over his comrades. Such a technique should drain any normal shinobi of his chakra, and the collective knowledge gained from them would cause extreme mental strain.

But Naruto was, or at least acted, completely fine. It was a testament to the boy's spirit and stamina. But he was human, and would need to rest.

As night fell, the team of ninja and their client made camp. Hinata turned a tree into pieces of firewood with her jyuken, Kakashi made the fire with a small fire jutsu, and Sasuke went to catch fish. Naruto had wanted to help, but Kakashi forbade him.

"Naruto," he had said, "I know how much you want this mission to be a success but you need to rest."

"I'm fine," Naruto had protested, "I have plenty of energy. I probably have the same amount as Sasuke."

"Which means you are tired, Naruto. Your stamina is usually much higher than Sasuke's. Now rest. As much good as you are trying to do, you will only drag us down if you end up fatigued when we need you."

Having found it useless to fight, he resigned himself to making his tent up and waiting for Sasuke. Naruto currently sat, thinking about training.

'I should be out training, it's what ninja do. They train. I need to be stronger so I can protect everyone.' The whiskered youth was dying to get out and test his limits. He knew he was the most powerful genin he knew, but he would not be satisfied until he could protect everyone who was precious to him from any enemy.

Hinata came over and joined him. "Naruto-kun, you do need to sleep, you aren't invincible."

'I might as well be. I mean, I pretty much can't die.' "But without training, I can't be stronger."

The girl nodded, "Yes, but if you don't give your body time to rest, you'll never fully benefit from your hard work. You need to work smart and hard, Naruto-kun."

"She's right," said a voice from the woods, framed in light from the fire. Sasuke, carrying a large number of fish on wire, gave his bounty to Kakashi, who began filleting the catch with a thin knife.

"Think of it like this. You stayed up all night watching over us so we could be rested, but in return, you aren't fully up to par. Now, Kakashi, Hinata, and I have to do all the shifts because you need your rest."

"Your point," said the grumbling jinchuuriki.

"The three of us aren't going to get as much sleep as normal because of your actions, which might put as at a disadvantage if we meet an enemy. We could, in theory, be killed by your mistake if this was a B or A-ranked mission." Sasuke's words must have gotten across, based on the gloomy look on Naruto's face.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to protect everyone," he said, staring into the fire.

"And we thank you, Naruto-kun, but you must trust us to protect ourselves too," Hinata said, putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder. The boy felt himself more at peace with Hinata touching him.

"Alright," Kakashi announced, "let's eat." There were enough fish for everyone to have three, except Tazuna, who had passed out. Sometimes it was good to have an alcoholic client.

Naruto devoured his 3 fish in about a minute, appalling Sasuke with his manners and causing Hinata to stare. He looked over to see that Kakashi had also finished, but unlike him, Kakashi didn't have food all over his face.

"Here, Naruto," said Hinata, "you're a mess." The girl took a cloth and cleaned Naruto's face, making him blush. Sasuke and Kakashi just looked at each other and grinned.

The 3 talked into the night, sharing life stories, hopes, and dreams. Naruto talked about how he learned to fight through adversity, and how he hoped for a family and to be Hokage. Sasuke talked about his family life before the Uchiha massacre at the hands of his brother, a rare thing for him to tell anyone about. He spoke also of how he desired to rebuild the Uchiha clan by finding a woman he loves. Hinata spoke of how she wished to become the first Hyuga in generations to use ninjutsu instead of jyuken-exclusive fighting. She also wanted a family with someone she loved. Sasuke, and oddly enough Naruto, noticed how she stared at Naruto for a moment when she said that.

Soon enough, Kakashi was telling them to turn in, and that Hinata would take the first shift, as she has the least stamina. After listening to Naruto rant that Hinata isn't weak, something that made the Hyuga love the boy even more, the 2 genin and the jounin moved to their respective tents to sleep. Kakashi would take the second watch, as it interrupted one's rest the most.

Hinata sat, thinking about life and love.

'The chunin exams are in 2 months, the first of July. Kurenai-sensei wouldn't risk it to enter us. Kakashi-san seems to have confidence in his team, so they probably will be entered.' She hung her head, sad that she would most likely not reach chunin at the same time as her crush, who she longed to be like.

'I wish I knew more techniques. I'm good with the jyuken, but the only advanced jutsu I know is **Hakke Rokujuyon Sho**, but the 64 palm technique is common among the main branch. If only I knew **Hakke Kusho,** the empty palm is not as common. I should also learn **Hakkesho Kaiten.**' The girl nodded to herself.

'Yes, if I'm going to get stronger, I'm going to need to improve my techniques. Maybe I'll have time to train on this mission. It'll be hard, but I already understand the theory behind both.'

The heiress remained deep in thought for several hours, occasionally using her byakugan to look around. There was nothing, however. She then got an idea. The type of idea that would make the Toad Sage, Jiraiya, swell with pride.

The byakugan could see through objects, such as buildings. In this case, she knew it could see through a canvas tent…and clothes. Had anyone been awake, they would have heard a squeak of embarrassment and found one very red Hinata.

'No, that's so wrong! I can't use my doujutsu for such things,' she mentally attacked herself.

However, a little devil on her shoulder wouldn't shut up.

'_Everyone is sleeping, so just take a quick peak at him, and no one will know_.' Hinata shook her head, trying to banish the thought.

'No, I will NOT! It's wrong and dirty.'

The voice would not relent. "_You don't even have to look at his...' _Hinata blushed heavily at the term the voice called Naruto's manhood. '_You can just admire the rest of him. No harm done.'_

'Well…I guess if take a quick peek, it'll be fine.' The girl focused her eyes on the tent holding the jinchuuriki. With not effort at all, she was viewing the sleeping form of the boy she loved.

Naruto was curled up like a cat on its side, sleeping soundly.

'He looks so cute! I just want to go in there with him!' Another vigorous head shake removed that thought.

"See anything interesting," a voice said, right behind her. The young girl froze, knowing it was Kakashi.

"I-I thought I-I heard a n-noise," she said, whipping around. Kakashi's one eye was curled.

"Oh? Well, I understand. It's my shift anyway, go get some rest." The Hyuga could not get away from the jounin quick enough. "Though, Hinata.."

"Hai, Kakashi-san?"

"It is curious that this noise came from the direction of Naruto's tent. One could even go so far as to think you were using your byakugan in a manner that Hiashi certainly would not approve of," he said, giving the girl a wink.

'Maybe I should lay off, the poor girl looks ready to faint.' Hinata did look slightly dazed as she sat down, blood slowly returning to the rest of her body. She was about to go to her tent when she realized something.

"Um, Kakashi-san, I didn't bring a tent. I borrowed Naruto-kun's last night, since he didn't sleep. May I use yours," she asked.

"Sorry Hinata, but I will need it later, and besides, you wouldn't want to have to move to Sasuke's in a few hours, right?"

The ninja had a point, but she couldn't help feel like she was walking into a trap. "You are right; I'll just sleep on the ground, it is fine."

Kakashi waved his hands in front of his face. "Absolutely not, it'd be terribly rude to cause a lady such discomfort. You should sleep in Naruto's tent."

The girl felt like she had just been sucker punched. "Excuse me, Kakashi-san?"

The jounin chukled. "Naruto will be sleeping through the night, so that's where you'll get the most rest."

"I understand that," she said with exasperation, "but I hardly think it's appropriate." The girl's mind was going off in places that she would rather not think about unless she was alone.

"We ninja make sacrifices, I'm sure Naruto will understand that. And I trust you both. Good night." With that, Kakashi turned to the fire and pulled out his porn book, leaving Hinata no room for argument.

Trembling, the girl crawled into Naruto's tent, closing it as she got inside. Hands shaking, she poked Naruto's leg until he awoke.

The boy yawned, "Hinata? What's up, is it morning?"

She shook her head. "Um, no. If you remember, I forgot my tent so…" Naruto simply smiled gently, putting her heart at ease.

"You can sleep next to me, it isn't a problem." Naruto scooted over in his bed roll and pulled the blanket up. He patted the spot next to him with a yawn.

Hinata blushed, seeing that Naruto just wore pajama pants to bed, and an odd nightcap. Naruto saw this.

"Ah, sorry Hinata, I just can't sleep with a shirt on. With one, I'm too hot," he said apologetically.

'Not as hot as without one,' she thought before she could catch herself. Luckily for her, in the darkness of night, no one can see you blush.

"So, are you going to come or not, I'm kinda tired," Naruto said with another big yawn. Hinata thought he looked absolutely adorable when he was tired.

"Sorry, sure, but um…can you give a minute, Naruto-kun," she asked.

"Uh, why," asked Naruto, his mind fuzzy from just waking up.

Hinata poked her fingers together, which Naruto couldn't see clearly. "Well, I don't exactly wear my ninja clothes to bed, Naruto-kun."

His face heated up. "Ah, um..well, I can't really see anything since it's dark." 'Well, it's not a complete lie.' Naruto could, in fact, make out a small silhouette of Hinata.

His eyes were glued to the tiny girl as she shed her baggy jacket. Underneath it was a black tank top. Naruto's eyes were straining as she slowly slid her pants off of her hips, which were beginning to bloom in femininity.

'Calm, Naruto. Calm is good. Besides, you mess up here and Kyubi will make fun of you every time you get knocked out.'

Hinata, dressed in a tank top and boy shorts, crawled onto the bed roll. She allowed Naruto to curl himself against her, draping his arm around her. "Thank you, Naruto-kun, you're a good person."

For some reason unknown to Naruto, he felt his eyes tear up. "Arigato, Hinata-chan," he said, hiding his tears. One stray tear managed to fall, hitting Hinata's cheek.

She felt something small and wet hit her, before realizing it was a tear. 'Naruto-kun is crying?' "Naruto-kun, what's wrong," she asked, feeling her heart twinge at his sadness.

"It's just…you never said anything like that to me before," he whispered.

"Should I not have," she questioned, her voice low. Hinata tried to move but Naruto's arm pulled her tightly against him.

"I'm glad you did. Don't leave, I like having someone next to me." Naruto moved his head to the crook of her neck, nuzzling himself against her. The boy felt like he couldn't get enough contact with the girl.

Hinata sighed happily. "So you're ok," she asked. Naruto nodded against her.

"Yea, I'm fine," he said with a sniff, "it just means a lot, coming from you."

"Can I ask why," she muttered softly, resting herself against the boy's body.

Naruto gave a tiny cough of a laugh. "2 years ago you were the most timid girl in the class, but you came up to me one day, wanting to be friends."

"I remember that day." It was true. She considered it the bravest she's ever been. "You were nice, but people treated you horribly. You deserved a friend."

"I was so alone. Iruka-sensei and the old man were the only ones who cared about me, aside from Ayame-chan, the girl at the ramen bar. I never saw them, aside from academy time or meals. It hurt so much."

"I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

"You were the first person to get to know me not because you were forced to. Sasuke knows me, but we might have never become friends if we weren't teammates. You are special to me."

The words echoed in Hinata's head. 'He might actually care about me! I'm so happy!' Hinata felt a few more tears fall on her neck as Naruto held her almost uncomfortably tight.

"So…arigato…Hina…" The boy's voice trailed off. Hinata turned around, facing Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, you aren't alone anymore. You will always have me by your side," said Hinata softly, small tears falling.

The pair closed the space between their lips, connecting in a tender kiss. Unlike before, emotions were pouring from the pair. Neither knew how long they stayed that way, as they both succumbed to sleep, perfectly content with life.

Hinata awoke the next morning to find herself in a very awkward position. Her tank top had ridden up to just under her breast, exposing the flat stomach it hid. If that was not bad enough, no blankets were covering her, allowing her boy short-covered backside to be exposed to the air. All this, however, was not as bad as finding herself practically on top of Naruto, one leg straddling the sleeping boy.

Said boy awoke to a muffled yell my Hinata. Naruto sat up, "Huh, what's up," he asked, hand reaching for a kunai.

Suddenly, the flap to the tent flew open, showing Kakashi and Sasuke. "What's wrong, we heard a…yell…" Kakashi was lost for words at the sight he and Sasuke found.

When Naruto had sat up, Hinata had shifted onto Naruto. The sight greeting the jounin could only be described as a half-naked Hinata straddling Naruto.

"Right…I see there is not a problem here. Uh, Sasuke, let's wake the drunk up." Kakashi left, Sasuke was still staring at the two in mild shock.

Sasuke's eyes looked up and down the promiscuously dressed girl. He had to admit, the sight of her lithe frame accented by her choice in underwear made her very cute. But, Naruto had essentially staked his claim, and Sasuke would rather go fight Itachi right now than piss the blonde off.

"Wow…" Sasuke said, before regaining his Uchiha composure. "Hn, nice job Naruto," he said, smirking. Hinata gave a squeak and passed out, rolling off the boy.

Naruto just growled and gave Sasuke the finger.

20 minutes later, a conscious and clothed Hinata and Naruto walked out of their tent, which quickly disappeared into a sealing scroll.

"I take it you slept well," asked Kakashi. Naruto shot him a glare that clearly said: _I know you had a part in this._

"Speak of this ever again, Kakashi-sensei, and I'll tell Kurneai what happened. I don't think she'd be pleased at the corruption you caused her pupil," challenged the boy, grinning. Kakashi paled.

"Right. Nothing ever happened. Moving on, we'll be to Wave by noon. Our pace is slowing since our client seems to walk a lot slower when hung over."

"Shut up," slurred the bridge builder, "I'm the greatest bridge builder in the world, respect me."

Hinata pinched her nose closed as the man's breath hit her. 'Why'd I have to be in the back?' They had formed the same formation as previously done.

The team moved in relative silence. After an hour of walking, they passed by a small puddle of water. The four ninja looked at the puddle, glancing a little longer at it that need be,

"Hinata. 1, cover. 2 to 4, left. 5, flee." Naruto had spoken to Hinata in code. His words were orders. If one ninja appeared, guard Tazuna. If more than that appeared, take the target furthest left. If more than 5, retreat."

The words had just finished coming from the boy's lips when two ninja appeared from the puddle. They both had breathing masks on their faces and each had one metal claw on their hand, connected to the other by a jagged chain.

The genin watched as Kakashi was snared by the chain and torn to pieces. "One down, they muttered before making a beeline for the old man.

Sasuke and Naruto immediately went to work. **"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"** A sole clone appeared. The clone sped to the ninja on the right, followed behind by Naruto and Sasuke. The clone did a slide tackle that missed left.

"Amateurs," the ninja yelled, preparing to kill the clone. The real Naruto reached the ninja first and gave him a hard right hook before his momentum carried him past the ninja.

The ninja remained standing, but dazed. Sasuke then came up from below the mist nin, delivering an uppercut kick to the man's chin. The breathing apparatus shattered into pieces and an audible crack of the jawbone was heard.

Said nin had forgotten about the clone and Naruto. When Naruto had passed his target after the punch, his clone had caught Naruto by his hand and flung him around, back to the nin.

Naruto flew through the air thanks to his clone. **Konoha Daisenpu!"** The demon vessel spun in the air before delivering a vicious kick to the enemy's head. The mist nin flew into a tree, which cracked under the force of the collision and snapped the chain connecting the two.

'He'll be lucky to be alive,' thought Sasuke. What the pair didn't see was their sensei silence the man by snapping his neck.

Hinata, on the other hand, was having a more difficult time. She was dodging the man's attacks with her byakugan. Her eyes told her the claws were poisoned. She was afraid to get close, so Hinata resigned herself to dodging, waiting for an opening.

The opening came when she ducked down low to avoid a deadly, head-cleaving swing. Hinata saw his momentum carry his arm, opening his torso up.

"**HAKKE**," she yelled, thrusting a palm to the man's gut. Unfortunately, the nin tried to dodge, but inadvertently put his sternum in the way of the attack. Hinata watched as her blow effectively destroyed the man's heart.

Sasuke and Naruto watched as the girl sank to her knees, crying. "No, no, no, not like this, not like this," she sobbed. The boy's winced as she screamed into the sky.

Sasuke didn't even see the boy move, but Naruto was now with Hinata, hugging her tightly. "Shh, it's ok Hina," he said soothingly, allowing her to scream into his chest. "You didn't mean to kill him, that's all that matters. He was an enemy, but you wanted to spare him. You're the best kind of kunoichi."

The Uchiha walked over and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You chose a profession in which we kill, and yet you seek not to kill needlessly. You are the type of ninja I wish to become."

Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke. "Forgive me Hinata, I didn't know the enemy would cause you to kill him. I should have intervened. Forgive me," he said, bowing his head slightly.

Hinata slowly stopped crying. "I-I'm ok, really," she choked out.

"No you're not," Naruto said, causing Hinata to look at him in pain, "of course you're not. But you will be." Naruto gave her a comforting smile.

"Arigato, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun," she muttered.

Kakashi then turned to the old man. "Now, to understand one last thing." He glared hard at the hung over client. "Why did you lie about this mission? These were the Demon Brothers of the Mist, two B-ranked criminals and high chunin leveled opponents. Now that they've failed, next will be a jounin!"

"What's your point," grumbled the old man.

The jounin pinned Tazuna to a tree. "The point is you do not lie to the people who are supposed to protect you. We might as well decide you not worth protecting and leave."

"HAHAHA," the drunkard laughed, "you're so full of shit. I paid for you guys. You guys are pretty much my slaves. I'm poor enough as is, why pay more for slaves when you don't have to."

Killing intent spiked from the four ninja, but the drunken bridge builder paid no heed. "And I remember asking for strong ninja, not some whiny bitch who cries after every kill."

Everyone except Naruto was amazed to the several of the massive trees behind Tazuna explode in gales of wind. Kakashi guarded himself for an attack, before realizing the storm was coming from his student.

Naruto was slowly advancing on Tazuna. Randomly, a sickle of wind would cut a deep chasm in the earth. "You think it's funny," Naruto asked, stalking towards the man. "You think that someone's emotions are something to toy with. I've known your type of people my whole life."

"Naruto, calm down," said Kakashi. "It's not worth killing this old man, even though he deserves it."

"You call us slaves," the blonde continued, ignoring his sensei, "but we are the very people who hold your life in our hands."

"You're insane," Tazuna yelled. "I paid for your services! People like me are the reason you get to make a living! You should bow down before me!"

Naruto grabbed the old man by the throat, cutting his words off. "And we're the reason you keep living. Now apologizes, or I swear I'll let you meet a friend of mine. I'm his landlord, if you will."

While no one else knew what it meant, but Kakashi understood. It'd mean that the old man would have a dinner date with the Kyubi. Before the situation got more out of hand, Kakashi pulled Naruto away from the man. Slowly, the impending hurricane around the group subsided.

"Let's get this fucking mission over with," Naruto said, walking off.

"I agree, the faster we get this trash to his home, the sooner we can be rid of him," said Sasuke.

Hinata just glared at her client, and walked over. "Tazuna, I have a present for you." She then poked the man once in each shoulder. "You see, my clan's jutsu allow us to disable our opponents. I've just taken away your arms. Let's see how long it takes for you to scream without your precious sake."

The girl stalked off to join her friends, who were walking quickly towards the Wave.

Kakashi hoisted the man up. "Consider yourself lucky you're alive. I don't know what made you such an evil man, but you'd do well to remain silent. Now come on."

The tension in the air between Tazuna and the ninja remained heavy as they reached the small ferry boat that would carry them to the new land. Soon, they found themselves looking at a massive bridge.

Naruto looked at the ferryman, who looked extremely thin and ragged. "Excuse me, sir, but how bad are the conditions in your land?"

"Awful," the ferryman replied. "Do you know who Gato is," he asked.

"Gato, as in the shipping billionaire," questioned Sasuke.

"The same, but he's more than that. He hires missing-nin, runs illegal fighting and gambling dens, and carries out assassination missions without hesitation. His monopolization of our shipping industry was done through blood."

"So he took control of your shipping, and as an island nation, holds your economy hostage," asked Kakashi.

The ferryman nodded. "Everything in wave is expensive, from food to supplies. There are thieves everywhere. Good children forced to turn into wolves just to survive."

"That's terrible," exclaimed Hinata, shocked at the vile man.

"That's why we need this bridge. It'll be a vein to pump our village with life once more," said the ferryman.

"See? I'm a fucking god over here, so apologize for earlier," yelled Tazuna.

The ferryman laughed harshly. "God? The only reason you are here is because you're the only bridge builder desperate enough for money that you'd challenge Gato."

"Fuck you," grumbled the old man, "I'm the best thing that'll happen to the village in a long, long time."

"You are so full of shit. I hope someone kills you after you make this bridge. Maybe then we won't have to pay you the outrageous price you've set."

"Haha, it's just economics you idiot. I wouldn't expect a peasant like you to understand," growled the drunken man.

Kakashi just stared. "Tazuna, you are the same, if not worse than Gato. He causes this pain, but you seek to profit from it."

"We're here," muttered the ferryman.

The team looked in awe at the beautiful mangrove trees that filled the large river into the village. Everything was covered in a thin mist, however. The outskirts of the village looked run down and gloomy.

"I'll leave you here. Just walk through the path in the woods and you'll get to the village proper."

They thanked the man and headed into the woods. After a few minutes, they reached a small opening in the woods. The path continued to the left, but in front of them was a large open space that lined the water.

There was a rustling from the woods. Naruto threw a shuriken into a bush. He dove towards the target, only to bring back a white hare.

'That hare has its winter coat still, meaning it was raised indoors. A wild hare would have its brown coat,' thought Sasuke.

Kakashi was thinking the same thing. 'Which means it's probably a de-' "GET DOWN!"

Naruto kicked the old man to the side and ducked, along with Sasuke, Hinata, and Kakashi. A massive sword soared over them, imbedding itself in a tree. The blade had missed the four by mere inches.

Standing atop the sword was a man in pinstriped grey pants and suspenders, with bandages wrapped around his mouth. There was a slanted mist headband between his beady black eyes and his short black hair.

"Nicely done," the missing-nin said in a voice that cause chills to run up the spines of the genin. "Now hand over the old man and I won't kill you."

* * *

I'm kinda happy with this chapter, although I do feel bad for Hinata. However, Naruto and Sasuke have matured from the pain in their lives, so likewise this is gonna be a turning point for Hinata. 

And if the combo by Naruto and Sasuke is confusing, I am sorry. In plain terms, Naruto ran to the Demon Brother, punching him. When his momentum carried him past the target after punching, his clone grabbed him by the wrist, spinning Naruto to the blind spot of the nin. Hopefully it's clear, if not, I'll try better next time.


	6. Kakashi, Wielder of the Sharingan

**A/N:** Right, so I edited a few things, I think the story is clearer now. Thanks for everyone who has been supportive. I decided to flesh out where I will be going with this story. Naruto and Sasuke will be taking the chunin exams, surprise surprise. Hidden Sound will make an entrance, along with everyone's favorie creep, Orochimaru. Naruto goes looking for Tsunade, Akatsuki shows up, Naruto trains, everyone starts fighting the Akatsuki.

Oh and what I have planned for Sakura is special. You'll get to see her, sorta, soon enough. I know I've said that before, but you'll see her after the Wave.

So right now, all I know is I'm having a female Gaara. Don't know what to do with her though.

Also, of the main 7 genin, 2 will die by the end of this story...dun dun dunnn.

* * *

**Team 7 versus Momochi Zabuza**

"I said hand over the old man and I will kill you," the browless nin repeated. He stood on his sword like a bird on a perch.

'Shit, it's the so-called Demon of the Mist, Momochi Zabuza,' swore Kakashi. "Everyone, guard the old man, this opponent is in a whole other league than those last two. You stand no chance."

The genin followed their order, Sasuke and Naruto mentally cursing their sensei for not finding them strong enough.

"Zabuza, if I am not mistaken," asked Kakashi. "Missing-nin from Kirigakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in Mist, S-ranked criminal for failed coup against the Mizukage, have I forgotten anything?"

The mist nin gave an evil laugh. "Master of the **Muon Satsujin Jutsu**, or the silent killing technique, former ANBU, and ex-member of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist. Please, Kakashi, you do me no justice."

'So he knows who I am, then he knows what I have.' He pulled up his headband, exposing his left eye.

Zabuza leapt down from his perch, pulling his enormous sword out with ease. "Ah, so I get to see the secret behind the ninjutsu expert of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. What an honor," he said with sarcasm.

The swordsman blinked out of sight, before appearing behind Kakashi, aiming to cleave his head off. Kakashi crouched and gave a sweeping kick to Zabuza, who leapt backwards.

"Mock it all you want, you fear what I possess. I am the Master of 1,000 Jutsu, the Copy-cat Kakashi. And yet none of those names I prefer. If you must, please call me…"

Kakashi opened his left eye, exposing a very different orb than in his right. Instead of black, it was red, with three tomoe surrounding the pupil.

"Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye!" Zabuza flinched for a moment, allowing Kakashi to strike. He moved behind the nin with unparalleled speed and delivered a hard kick to his back, sending the nin flying.

Zabuza landed on his feet. "**Kirigakure no jutsu!"** A thick mist rolled in, blanketing the battlefield. In a second, it was impossible to see your hand in front of your face. Unknown to everyone, Zabuza was making seals.

"Eight points," his voice rang out, "larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, sub-clavian artery, kidney, and heart… now, which should I attack first?"

"Who is this man," Hinata whispered to herself.

Kakashi turned his head in her direction. "Momochi Zabuza, the man who has perfected the art of assassination. He doesn't even need to see to kill."

Hinata flinched. Meanwhile, Naruto was whispering to Sasuke.

"Yo, how's Kakashi-sensei have the Sharingan," Naruto asked.

"I don't know, but now's not the time to worry about it."

"Too true," growled a voice. Zabuza had moved in between the genin and their client, and aimed to render the group in two with one swing. "Farewell." The nin swung his giant sword.

The hit never connected, blocked by two kunai being held by Kakashi. The sword had sliced the one kunai in half, and dug deep into the second. The copy-nin dropped the two useless kunai and brought another against his enemy's throat.

"Don't move," Kakashi said, "it's over." The missing-nin began to laugh.

"I wouldn't be so sure," came a voice from behind Kakashi. Said jounin sliced the throat of his capture, only to have it turn to water. He turned his head, his last sight being the swordsman bringing his sword across his neck.

"A clone," growled the swordsman.

Kakashi exploded in a burst of water. The genuine jounin came from behind Zabuza, sticking a kunai in his back. "Very good, Kakashi, to copy my technique in this mist, the tales of your skill to do not lie. However, don't treat me like an amateur." Zabuza blew up in a splash of water.

'This guy is incredible,' thought Naruto. 'I can't use my shadow clones like that. To do that…it's insane.'

The real Zabuza began swinging at the jounin as the mist lifted, who dodged each strike. Kakashi was caught unguarded when he used his sword as a pivot and kicked the jounin hard, propelling him into the water.

Zabuza ran to the water as Kakashi was airborn, making seals. As Kakashi landed, he yelled out his technique. "**Suiton: Suirou no jutsu!**" A sphere of water trapped Kakashi, who was unable to get out. Zabuza stood on the water, hand in the sphere.

He made one-handed seals. **"Mizu bunshin no jutsu!"** Two copies of Zabuza formed.

"You think," the clone said, "just because you have that symbol on your head that you are special? That you are considered ninja?" The clone used a burst of speed to kick Sasuke and Hinata away.

"You aren't truly ninja until you prove yourselves," the other said, punching Naruto, who flew into Tazuna. The old man hit his head and was knocked out.

Naruto crawled to his feet, along with Hinata and Sasuke. 'Fuck that hurt,' Naruto swore. He noticed his hair was falling into his eyes slightly. 'He took my fucking headband,' Naruto growled mentally.

The clone who punched Naruto had the headband in his hand. "You don't deserve this until you've made your first kill and tried to be killed. Until then, you're nothing!"

Naruto stared at the ground, his body beginning to shake slightly. "Then give me my fucking headband back." The killing intent the boy was eminating impressed even the missing-nin.

'Not bad for a brat,' he thought.

"And who the hell do you think you are," the clone asked, twirling the headband by its fabric.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, legacy of the Yondaime Hokage. Remember it," said Naruto from behind the clone. The mizu bunshin's eyes widened. None of the genin, nor the clone, had seen the boy move.

Naruto stabbed the clone in the back before slicing upwards. The clone fell apart. Naruto caught his headband in air and tied it back on. He jumped back to his genin team.

"Hinata," he said seriously. The girl looked at him.

"Hai?"

"Take out the other bunshin, Sasuke and I will free Kakashi. After that, try to wake that fucker up." The Hyuga stared at her crush. He looked so serious, his blue eyes set in determination.

"HAI," she yelled. 'I won't let you down.'

"Naruto, let's do this," said Sasuke. Naruto made one seal.

"Damn right, **kage bunshin no jutsu."** 6 clones appeared. One remained next to its creator as 5 clones attacked the real Zabuza as Hinata did the same to the mizu bunshin. Using her flexibility, she dodged the sword, albeit narrowly and landed a small poke to the clone's leg. It dispersed.

"What? How'd she do that," Zabuza asked as he shredded three Naruto clones. The final two attacked, one going high and the other low.

"**Konoha Reppu,"** one clone said, trying to destroy Zabuza's footing.

"**Konoha Daisenpu,"** yelled the other, spinning and trying to deliver a vicious kick to his head. Zabuza simply brought his blade up in a vertical swipe, destroying both in one swing.

The real Naruto and the last clone both pulled out a scroll, which activated and spawned a large blade from each. With identical flicks of the wrist, the blades became fuma shuriken. The twin vessels threw the shuriken with all their strength, sending them zooming in on Zabuza.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had been preparing his favorite jutsu. He brought his pointer finger and thumb to his mouth. **"Katon: Gyokyaku no jutsu!"** A massive fireball formed from his mouth, moving rapidly to the missing-nin.

To Zabuza's surprise, the fireball hit the two fuma shuriken and caused them to move faster. He put his sword up to protect as much of his body as possible from the blast.

Since he had his head and vital points covered, he didn't see the two Naruto's make seals right after they had thrown their shuriken. The pair yelled out their technique, spewing twin blasts of wind.

"**FUTON: DIATOPPA!"**

Two powerful gusts of air exploded from the two. The gusts, powerful enough to level part of a forest each, blew towards the missin-nin. And, as Zabuza realized too late, would hit the fireball.

The wind techniques connected with the fireball, causing it to enlarge and become much more deadly. Zabuza quickly made the decision to flee, instead of taking the assault of the technique.

'This strategy won't work; they're strong enough to beat my bunshin. I'll have to finish this quickly.' The swordsman rolled out of the way of the painful combination and charged the two genin.

'Too fast,' they both thought. The nin prepared to kill them both.

"You both have proven worthy enough to die by my hand, embrace death knowing that," Zabuza yelled, swinging at the pair.

"NARUTO-KUN," Hinata yelled.

The sound of metal meeting metal echoed throughout the battlefield. Kakashi had blocked the hit with the metal plating on his gloves, but the force of the attack would surely mean a broken hand.

"Zabuza," Kakashi glared at the man, lone Sharingan glaring, "you will die today." The Demon of the Mist felt a very human shiver run down his spine.

"So, what now Zabuza," Kakashi asked, still glaring.

'That eye…that eye…is evil!' Zabuza leapt away to the water, molding chakra. Kakashi advanced on him, standing on the water and making the same seals.

'He's copying me, he's just like..'

"A monkey," Kakashi said in a deathly calm voice.

Zabuza's eyes widened. 'That can't be possible, he can't be...'

"Reading my mind." The two completed the same jutsu.

"**SUITON: SUIRYUDAN NO JUTSU!"** Two colossal dragons of water appeared behind each caster and began to attack the other. A flood of exploding water showered the battlefield. Zabuza swung at Kakashi, who blocked it.

He began a long string of seals for his best technique. 'How's he doing this, he's just…'

"Copying my moves." Kakashi was mimicking every seal. "Face it, against the Sharingan, not even your mind is safe!"

His sanity began slipping. "Shut up, I'll kill you, I'll make sure you…"

"NEVER SPEAK AGAIN," they both yelled. Zabuza looked at Kakashi. Behind the copy-nin, he saw a copy of himself.

Zabuza broke his chain of seals. 'What? I'm the real Zabuza What's going on?'

"**Suiton: Diabakufu no jutsu,"** Kakashi said. The water around them formed into a giant vortex of water, crushing the shocked Zabuza and pushing him into a tree.

Kakashi threw the two discarded fuma shuriken, impaling each of the nin's arms to the tree.

"AGH! What the fuck are you? WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU," he screamed. 'That eye…can it see the future,' he asked himself.

"Yes," Kakashi muttered from a branch above him, "and your future is death."

The swordsman began laughing, making the pair running over to Zabuza question his sanity. Hinata was still attempting to wake up their client.

"What the hell are you talking about," Naruto asked, "you are gonna die right here."

"Demons never die," he yelled. "I'll kill you all, I'll find a way to murder you all!" Naruto just smirked.

"That's not going to happen," Kakashi said, hovering above the man.

"You're right, before that, I'll have some fun with that girl with the white eyes over there," he said with an undertone of lust. "They're always so good when they're young and don't want it." His eyes rolled back, remembering his past.

Naruto bristled. Sasuke felt sickened by the man. "To protect Hina…I'll be the one to stain my hands," said Naruto. "You'll never be able to touch her."

Before he could pull out a kunai, two senbon needles impaled Zabuza in the neck, killing him instantly. The missing nin hung lifelessly, arms still impaled by the fuma shuriken.

A hunter-nin in a green battle kimono and porcelain masked appeared. Naruto sniffed the air, smelling a female scent and something else that worried Naruto. "I am truly sorry, but my mission is to kill this man. I thank you in your aid."

The nin began pulling the shuriken out of the man. The dead nin fell to the ground. 'How I wish this could be true,' Haku thought.

Naruto kept sniffing the air, trying to place the strange scent. Sasuke looked at him. "What's wrong," Sasuke asked. Kakashi leapt away, going to check on Hinata.

"Something smells wrong," he said.

The Uchiha raised an eyebrow. "Did you say _smell_? Maybe I misheard." The hunter-nin was checking the body of Zabuza.

"Just trust me, something isn't right." 'What the fuck is that smell. It's heavy, like musk. It's coming from the…both…of…them.' Naruto's mind clicked.

"Sasuke," he yelled, "get her away from him now!" Not waiting for an explanation, Sasuke punched the nin in the porcelain mask, sending the nin flying backwards.

"Now why did I just punch a hunter-nin," Sasuke asked. Said nin stood up, confused.

"Because these two know each other, his scent is on her…and not in decent places," he said sadly. Haku and Sasuke looked shocked.

Naruto's words hit Haku in the heart, which felt like it shattered. The girl removed her mask, exposing her pale, delicate face to the pair. They both saw she was crying.

"You wouldn't understand, but I have to protect this man. I have to. I have to," she repeated the words over and over.

"Kakashi," Naruto screamed, "we need help over here! The hunter's a traitor!" Kakashi and Hinata looked up, before abandoning their client and racing over towards them.

"I am not," she screamed, tears pouring down her face. She ran over to the nin with unrivaled speed, picking him up and slumping him on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, but I can't explain now." She made a seal and disappeared as a volley of shuiken landed where she had just been.

"What happened," asked Kakashi.

Sasuke grunted. "Naruto said she smelled odd." Hinata gave Naruto an odd look, but Kakashi knew better.

'Having the kitsune inside him has heightened his senses,' thought Kakashi, who pulled his headband back over his eye.

"Hey, I'm not crazy," Naruto said, defending his sanity. "I could smell him on her, and her on him. And it wasn't a good smell. It took me a second, but aside from Zabuza's scent, she smelled like a geisha.

Hinata felt a little heat rise in her. 'Naruto-kun can't smell _THAT_ can he? What if I get…' Her mind led her down a dark path, but luckily no one was looking.

Sasuke felt a small prick of anger. "She was crying, saying she had to protect him. She kept repeating it over and over."

Kakashi began to feel a little dizzy. 'Shit, I overdid it.' "Telltale signs of an abusive relationship." Kakashi grunted and fell to one knee.

"Kakashi-sensei, you alright," Naruto asked, worry etched over his face.

'I have a broken hand, chakra exhaustion, and he asks if I'm ok,' he chuckled to himself. "I overused my Sharingan. Naruto, I need you to carry Tazuna to his temporary lodging. Sasuke, you help me move, and Hinata, take the scroll out of my vest pocket and use your Byakugan to direct us there."

"Hai," the three muttered. Soon they were off, with Kakashi holding on to consciousness by a thread.

When they got to Tazuna's place, they were given a much odder welcome than expected.

"Oh my god," a black-haired woman said, "is he dead?" She ran out of the room and came back with a bed roll. Naruto went to put him down, but she stopped him.

"What're you doing, this is for your sensei, just throw the drunk on his bed," she said.

"Whatever you say, miss." Naruto was all too happy to literally throw the man on his bed and forget about him. When Naruto came back, she was preparing food for them. Kakashi lay asleep on the bed roll.

Hinata walked over to the woman. "Excuse me, miss, but I've learned a lot of cooking, may I help," he asked with a bow.

The woman laughed. "My name's Tsunami, and certainly! Inari," she hollered, "we have guests." The two females got to work cooking as a small boy in a bucket hat came downstairs with a scowl.

Inari looked at the pair of genin sitting down. "Are you two the one's protecting Tazuna," he asked.

Sasuke grunted while Naruto smiled. "Yup, we're ninja!" Inari took a swing at Naruto, who caught the tiny fist and pushed the boy away. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You're protecting that bastard!"

Naruto frowned. "Trust me, it's not because we want to. We signed a contract."

Sasuke looked at the boy. "We even had a chance to turn it down because he lied to save money, but we chose to keep going in order to help your country."

Inari looked at them suspiciously, "Really?"

"Man, you live with the guy, you should know how much he sucks," Naruto grumbled.

"Only cause the village council put him here. I hope he dies."

"Well then," Sasuke said, "that gives us something that we all have in common."

Hinata and Tsunami brought over a large helping of food a few minutes later. The three ninja ate with gratitude, noticing that all the food they had was cheap items that either came in cans, or old, slightly spoiled fish.

"Are things really this bad," asked Hinata. Inari and Tsunami looked down.

"Yes," Tsunami said, "but it wasn't always like this. Our country was once strong. But that changed when Gato came."

"Gato slowly bought every shipping company until he had a monopoly. He raised the prices so much; most of us barely get by with a meal a day."

"That's terrible," Hinata cried. No one deserves to suffer like the people of Wave are, she rationalized.

"You think that's the worst part," Inari spat, "you don't even want to know the rest." Silent tears ran down the boy's face.

Tsunami moved to her son and hugged him. "One day, a faction of villagers rose up against Gato and sabotaged one of his boats, stealing the cargo. Gato was furious and threatened the nearby construction workers on who was responsible."

"I take it no one said a thing," Sasuke asked. "Only a despicable human being would betray their own people." He thought of his brother.

Tsunami started crying. "No one did, not a soul said anything…except for one. Gato had the leader of the faction put to death, along with every construction worker. The one who betrayed our land…"

"Tazuna," Naruto said simply. Tsunami's weeping only confirmed it. "I don't care…after we complete the mission; I'm going to kill him. He's worse than the villagers."

"You can't kill him Naruto-kun, it isn't right," Hinata said.

"Fine, Hina, but that fucker has to pay! At least let me break a few bones or something."

"Gato and Tazuna have a strange relationship," Tsunami said. "Because he ratted out our people, Gato paid him well and gave him protection. Now he wants to kill him so he doesn't ruin his monopoly. If people knew Gato wasn't protecting Tazuna, he'd be dead by morning."

"Good," Sasuke said, "But don't have him killed until we're done, otherwise we'll be forced to defend him."

"Deal," said Tsunami. "The leader of that faction was a man who was like a father to Inari and saved his life. When Tazuna betrayed him, we lost our hope for the village."

"Then we will assure that you get in back," Hinata replied.

The three ninja finished their meal and talked about upcoming strategies for Zabuza, who couldn't be dead, since the girl had said she must protect him. Hinata had said she heard of near-death states before and they assumed that was the case.

Naruto curled up with Hinata for the night, finding himself feeling strangely cold sleeping without her next to him. The two cuddled and quickly found sleep.

The only one who stayed awake longer than usual was Sasuke, who couldn't get the cute hunter-nin out of his head.

* * *

Also, I realized that there is one thing most good ninja should have...a weapon. I'm looking to outfit a couple of people with weapons. Any ideas, so long as it isn't Hinata, I've got hers planned.

I do apologize, this chapter is a little shorter than the others. I usually get in the 4-5K word range, but this time, not so much. I couldn't think of another way to end the chapter other than them resting for the night. Next chapter: training!


	7. Training, Tricks, and Feeling Right

**A/N:** Ladies and Gentleman, I give you the longest chapter of _Cataclysm_ to date. Prepare for training and a healthy chunk of Naru/Hina, with Hinata doing some odd things.

Anyway, just to help you guys out, since I'm never certain how well my thought process is laid out in-story, here's a few fundamentals.

1. Having killed and being much closer to the boy she has a crush on, Hinata is maturing rapidly, seeing the uselessness of being shy and having regrets. After killing, she realized how fragile life is for ninja. (If I'm screwing Hinata up, give me constructive criticism...aka scream and yell at me with caps lock on)

2. Being able to use chakra effectively makes a ninja incredibly stronger. Now, chakra can be used for defying gravity, water walking, bursts of speed, etc. And also needs to be done to maniplate chakra. (Think Rasengan.)

3. No ninja will be getting it on in any way until they're at least 16...I mean, Hinata may be ahead of the rest, but Naruto and Sasuke aren't quite there yet.

And, I've tried to make this chapter a little funnier in hopes that it adds to the amusing, awkward situations that young love puts us all in.

* * *

**The Beginning of Training**

"Now listen up," Kakashi said, hobbling into a clearing on crutches. His team stood silently behind him awaiting his words. "Due to overusing the Sharingan, I won't be back to normal until a week from now."

"Great, so we get to look after that piece of shit until you feel better," Naruto mumbling while glaring into Kakashi's one eye.

He waved a finger at Naruto. "Not quite. I'll be able to go to the bridge in 4 days, but if any of Gato's thugs show up, you will have to fight. In my state, I will only be able to fight if it's a very dangerous enemy."

Sasuke shivered at the prospect of fighting strong ninja. "So what are we doing here," he asked. Kakashi smiled and made his way slowly over to a thick tree. He put two feet on it and suddenly he was standing parallel to the ground, defying gravity.

"You are training. Chakra is a funny thing, think of it like a firework," Kakashi said, slowly getting down. He sat down, tired from using what little chakra he had.

"A firework," Hinata asked, confused.

"Exactly," the jounin said, smiling behind his mask. "If you put too little gunpowder in a firework, it'll only go so high before fizzling out with a tiny burst."

The genin nodded. "But," he continued, "if you use too much, the firework will be out of control and its explosion will be uncontrolled."

Sasuke and Naruto both thought the same thing. 'I'm the second one,' they mentally cursed.

"And yet, if you use just the right amount of gunpowder, just like a firework, we create something beautiful."

'Who knew Kakashi-san could be a romantic,' Hinata giggled mentally.

"Now, to walk on trees, you need to use the correct amount of chakra. Once you find that amount, it will not change with each step. This exercise is to hone your chakra control. With it, in theory no jutsu should be beyond your grasp. Now," he threw three kunai at the genin, "use these to mark your progress and get started."

Sasuke grabbed his and charged the tree. 'Find the proper amount of chakra and apply it continually.' Sasuke placed a foot on the tree and began running up it. About a quarter the way up, Sasuke's foot slipped. He slashed the tree with the kunai and jumped down. "Damn it."

"That was a good first try Sasuke, I got about that far when I first did it," the silver-haired man said. Sasuke smirked.

Naruto was second. He wasted no time in running up the tree. Unfortunately, he only got about half as high as Sasuke. He made a line for his progress and jumped down. "FUCK ME," he swore, wanting to obliterate the tree with a futon jutsu.

Hinata blushed, her mind racing about what that would be like. "Naruto," Kakashi said.

"Hai, sensei," Naruto mumbled.

"Watch your language, there is a lady present. And you know you already have bad control. Against Zabuza, you gave far too much chakra into your **Futon: Diatoppa.** But work hard and you'll make it."

"You got it Kakashi-sensei." Naruto turned to Hinata. "Sorry about that Hina, you can save that suggestion until we're a little older," he said, winking.

All the blood in Hinata's body seemed to run to her face. Between their chuckling, Sasuke and Kakashi wondered if she was going to pass out. A testament to the Hyuga's strength, the heiress managed to stay conscious.

"You're such an idiot," Sasuke said, still chuckling softly.

"Oh come on, I was practically handed that one on a silver platter," Naruto grinned.

'I'll get you back for that, Naruto-kun,' said the embarrassed Hyuga. She ran up the tree. The three watched, waiting for the part where Hinata slipped, but it never came. She stood on the highest branch, smiling brightly. "I did it," she yelled in a very un-Hyuga manner.

Naruto saw Hinata slip while celebrating, she began to fall. "Hina," he yelled.

'Shit, I don't have enough chakra to get to her,' Kakashi thought, trying vainly to get up and run.

They watched the Hyuga fall. She plummeted towards the hard earth, screaming in fear. "NARUTO-KUN," she screamed.

"Hina!" Naruto dashed towards where she was going to land. He stuck his arms out to try to catch her, but she never hit.

Instead, she had put enough chakra in her feet to have them slip on the last branch and grip the bottom, causing her to stand safely upside down, her head inches from Naruto's.

"Gotcha," she giggled and gave his forehead a tiny peck. She leapt down gracefully. Naruto stood there, dumbstruck.

Sasuke started a laughing fit harder than anything he'd ever done. He started at the blonde's face, causing him to laugh harder. "Hahaha, you should see your face," Sasuke said before laughing more.

'Such chakra control, she's a Hyuga prodigy, that much I'm certain of,' Kakashi thought, relaxing. Not having a temporary student die on a mission tended to ease one's nerves. The thought of what Kurenai would do to him if Hinata got injured was terrible to think of.

"You really should see your face, Naruto-kun," Hinata giggled. She made a henge into Naruto's exact look. This only made the recently composing Uchiha laugh again.

"That wasn't funny, Hina," Naruto said in a soft, serious tone. Hinata stopped giggling. Naruto wrapped her in a tight hug.

"I thought you were going to die. That's not funny Hina…"

"Gomen, Naruto-kun," Hinata said. "I won't do tricks again."

Naruto let go of her, smiling evilly. "Oh, but there's nothing wrong with tricks Hina, just know which ones to do."

Kakashi coughed. "Well, it looks like our young lady is the furthest along the ninja path." Kakashi produced a scroll. "I got this from Hiashi, it's a technique he has given you permission to learn." The tossed her the scroll, the girl promptly opening it.

**"H-hakkesho K-kaiten?"** The girl stared at the scroll in disbelief.

"What's the big deal," Naruto asked.

Sasuke sighed, staring at the tree. "In most clans, there is a certain jutsu that commands respect. In the Uchiha clan, the **Gokakyu no Jutsu** is such a case. When an Uchiha learns it, it signifies the member as an adult in the clan's eyes. I believe that jutsu is the case for the Hyuga."

"Kakashi-san," the Hyuga smiled brightly, "please allow me to train in this technique for a few days."

Kakashi sat in thought. "Gato would not strike so soon after a failed attempt from what is most likely his finest assassin. You can have today and tomorrow to learn it, but after that you must protect our client. You may train in the **Kaiten **on your own time."

"Hai, I will find a small clearing and do so. Sayonara." The girl sped off in a hurry, eager to learn the technique.

Sasuke began preparing to run up the tree, only to see Naruto doing it repeatedly. 'That idiot didn't even listen to my explanation.' Sasuke saw that Naruto was now only about 10 feet behind him.

Not wanting to be outdone, he dashed off. Kakashi hobbled off to Tsunami's house, knowing the two would most likely be there for a while.

Meanwhile, Hinata had found a small open area to train in her new technique. She sat down and read the scroll over several times.

'Just as I thought, you expel chakra from every tenketsu. But it says here that it takes extreme control. You need to spin while doing so. Even the tiniest flaw could cause it to fail.'

Hinata read down the scroll again. It mentioned that one should complete the water walking exercise before attempting. 'I think I saw some water earlier.' Hinata activated her Byakugan and searched around. Sure enough, there was a tiny river near.

She sat by the river's edge, watching the slow stream move. 'This is much harder than tree climbing,' she thought. The water was not a solid ground, meaning the amount of chakra needed to stay standing would be constantly changing.

The young girl stood up and began to walk onto the water. She molded chakra into the soles of her feet, but it wasn't correct. One foot needed less than the other, causing her to fall over sideways, ending with a large splash.

Hinata jumped from the bottom of the river and landed on the shore. Her clothes were soaking and extremely heavy. Hinata threw her coat away, shivering as the cool breeze kissed her wet skin. She was silently thankful she owned black tank tops.

'Ok, let's try this again.' She walked out onto the water, doing slightly better than before. She sank down like a rock, but she put enough chakra in her feet that she was standing waist deep, hovering in the middle of the water.

Hinata climbed out of the water again. 'Hinata, you have to learn this! Think of the **Kaiten**!'

She stepped onto the water with one foot, and found it didn't sink past her ankle. Hinata stood, balancing on the one foot. 'This is much easier!' With only having to control the changing amounts of chakra in one foot, she could concentrate on it much easier.

She hopped onto the other foot, balancing on her left. To her surprise, she didn't sink at all. Hinata put her right foot down, only to have the concentration be too much. She toppled over into the water.

'Damn,' she swore for one of the few times in her life. 'I'll keep at it, one foot at a time.' And so she continued her own brand of water walking, hoping to get it down by the day's end.

Several hours later, an exhausted Sasuke was standing at the top of the tree. He looked down at Naruto, whose progress had halted after getting half way up the tree.

"Naruto, I'm heading back, I'll see you back there," he said, leaping down and walking off towards the village.

The jinchuuriki was having a hard time however. 'I know I've got this fucking thing down, but I can't keep it concentrated long enough.' He sprinted up the tree again, slightly winded. He made it a few feet higher than last time, but at this rate it'd be days before he got it. 'Days I don't have. We don't know when Zabuza and that girl will be back.'

Meanwhile, a very damp Hinata was dancing on top of the water. 'I did it! Tomorrow I can start working on the scroll! I'll prove myself to Neji!'

Hinata frowned at the thought of the branch family prodigy. Hygua Neji, a year older than her, and acted like he was better than her in every way. Because he was born into the branch family, he hated Hinata.

She had tried to be friends with the boy, to show him the main family was not as terrible as he thought. After all, no one had actually used the seal on their foreheads for two decades.

Hiashi had turned the Caged Bird Seal into more of a formality, a sign that one was marked as equal by the branch, much as the **Kaiten** was for the main family. It also helped protect the secrets of the Byakugan. But its mind-destroying capability was all but forgotten.

Riding herself of such thoughts, she walked back to the clearing, where she heard several colorful words from the blonde boy, still training.

"What the hell is this, Naruto," he growled to himself. "You aren't the fucking idiot everyone wanted you to be. If you can't learn this, you're just a piece of trash like they thought."

The girl was shocked, but it was perfectly normal for Naruto. Having a constant reminded of the plethora of people that hated him only made him want to prove them wrong that much more.

He sprinted up the tree, gaining another foot before slashing and jumping to the ground. "God damn it!" Naruto turned to a heavily wooded part of the forest. "**Futon: Kamaitachi no jutsu,"** he yelled, making motions with his hands like he was clawing at something.

Hinata gasped as large, sharp winds leveled the forest, slicing the trees in dozens of places. Naruto had heard her outburst, however.

"Hey," Naruto said, waving. He saw her flinch when he raised his hand, like she expected some wind jutsu to come out. "Sorry, I got frustrated." He scratched his head.

"It's ok, Naruto-kun," Hinata said, "You just need to concentrate." Naruto growled softly.

"I know, but I can't get it down. What if I learn it, but I lose concentration during a fight?"

"Think of it like writing," she said soothingly. He looked at her in confusion.

"I don't follow," he said bluntly.

She smiled softly. "When you write, you don't think about every stroke, you just think of the word and it gets written. Once you learn chakra control, it's like that, you almost don't even have to think about it, your body just knows."

Naruto smiled, laughing a little. "When did you get so smart, Hina?" Said girl felt a small heat in her cheeks.

"Well...I kind of just did water walking. It's harder than tree climbing, but the principle is the same. I just realized what I had to do, and once I knew what to do, it's like second nature," she smiled brightly.

"WHAT? You've done two chakra control exercises in one day, and I haven't even done one! I suck!" Naruto bit his lip, thinking about the villagers laughing at him.

"It's ok, I'm a Hyuga, I'm supposed to have good control, remember," she said. While it made sense to Naruto, he still felt upset. "Here," Hinata jumped into the tree and ran up to the top branch. "I'm your focal point. Keep thinking about me."

Hinata's words had an unexpected response. Naruto actually looked at Hinata. He saw her discarded jacket on the ground. He stared at Hinata, or more specifically, her dress. Her hair was disheveled; it's normal shoulder-length hair now in tangles that, to the boy, made her look like she had been doing something she shouldn't have.

His eyes traced down her neck, seeing the wet black tank top clinging to her body, along with her pants. To him it almost looked like she had been painted with black instead of wearing clothes. He licked his lips subconsciously.

Hinata, with her Byakugan active to help Naruto, saw the look in his eyes. 'Why's he looking at me like that,' she thought, blushing. She looked at herself, fully appreciating how tight her clothes looked while wet. 'Well that explains it,' her mind bluntly answered.

Naruto did as she suggested, and made his target the girl. He sprinted up the tree, with, as Hinata saw, much more even and controlled chakra. He made it another ten feet past his highest point before jumping down. He immediately went back at it.

"You're doing great, Naruto-kun," she yelled to him, smiling. 'I guess he just needs a little focus.' A little devil appeared on her shoulder, whispering to the heiress. 'Well, one more trick won't hurt.' She thought with a giggle.

Naruto landed on the ground again, having jumped after running up nearly two-thirds of the tree. Hinata's voice called down to him.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata said in her best impression of a husky voice, "I'm all alone up here, won't you keep me company." She finished it off by putting a finger to her lips and pouting.

The whiskered boy felt like someone had just punched him. 'SCORE!' Naruto ran up the tree, swearing he could almost hear the amused laughter of a demon kitsune.

He made it nearly three-quarters the way up the tree. "Naruto-kun," the voice of Hinata called to him. He looked up from the ground.

She peeled the black tank top up just below her chest and stretched, arching her back and showing her tight stomach off to the boy. "Please hurry, I'm so cold up here. I want to get…_hot_," she purred, licking her lips seductively.

Hinata swore the boy would either reach her or die trying as he ran top speed up the tree. 'So this is what Kurenai meant when she said kunoichi are a dangerous weapon,' she thought. 'The old me would never do this,' she thought seriously.

It was true, having been around Naruto so much and having to make her first kill made her appreciate things a bit more. Such as how stupid it is to be nervous around one of your best friends/crush. Besides, she found it fun to tease the boy.

'I guess we all grow up sometime, some sooner than others,' she smiled. Naruto had made it past the three-quarter mark. He landed not so gracefully on his feet.

"FUCK IT ALL," he yelled. Naruto punched the ground a few times. He was unbelievably frustrated from the Hyuga's special brand of torture, not to mention being last on his team in chakra control.

"Hm," the heiress said, catching Naruto's eye, "I don't know about 'it all', but you could always settle for me." She gave a tiny wink and pulled the left side of her pants down a little, exposing a creamy white hip.

He hit his head on the ground. 'Bad thoughts, bad thoughts! I was just joking earlier, is she serious? We're thirteen!' His eyes looked stared at her partially exposed body. He watched in agony as she rolled the tops of her pants down a bit and turned around.

The teenage boy drank in the gentle curve of her back, trailing down the half exposes lavender panties that hid her perfectly forming bottom. He saw Hinata turn her head towards him. She smiled seductively and curled a finger, telling him to come get her.

'God,' Naruto pleaded, 'if you love me at all, please let me get up this tree.'

Said boy ran up the tree, sprinting as hard as he could up the tree. He saw the slash marks in the tree quickly become less as he ran up, and soon he saw none. He grinned, running straight to the top branch and landing next to the heiress.

'Thank you God,' he thought, 'I swear, I'll go to a temple and pray.'

"Are you here to warm me up, Naruto-kun," the Hyuga said, licking her lips.

Naruto shivered as he pinned Hinata against the tree, "You have no idea." Before Naruto could start kissing the pale neck in front of him, the girl slipped away.

Hinata righted her clothing, "Then you'll have to catch me." She blew him a kiss and dashed off, leaping through the trees.

Naruto let out a frustrated groan and gave chase, sprinting through the trees on all fours. He grinned, knowing he was gaining ground. Soon, he was within a branch of her, but just as he got close enough, she winked and sped off, twice as fast.

'She's playing with me, damn it!' He pushed chakra into his feet, feeling himself move a lot faster. He chased the giggling girl as she dropped down onto the ground gracefully and dashed towards where she had been practicing water walking.

Her pursuer landed on all fours with a thump, before righting himself and running after his chase. Naruto felt strangely happy chasing the girl. 'Must be cause of Kyubi, something about the thrill of the hunt.'

"You won't get away Hina, I have more chakra than you to speed me up," he yelled, smiling. He didn't like the playful grin she had on her face.

"I haven't used mine yet," she said, before dashing off much faster than before. She stood still. "I won't run anymore, Naruto-kun," she said, laughing a little.

'Thank you, thank you, thank you,' he muttered in his head. In a matter of seconds, he was next to the heiress, wrapping her in his arms. He gave her a look of annoyance.

"What's wrong," Hinata asked in a tone that clearly said she knew what was bothering him, "I thought you liked tricks."

Naruto let a small smile form, "I do. But what do I get for winning?" He gave her a feral grin. Hinata looked in thought for a minute, and then reached below the hem of her tank top. Naruto didn't even notice they were both standing on water.

When the pair returned, Hinata greeted everyone brightly and went to help Tsunami with dinner. Naruto shuffled in behind her, eyes slightly glazed over and blushing slightly.

He landed with a thump beside Sasuke and Kakashi. Tazuna had previously woken up, eaten a large portion of the house's food supply, and then drank himself to an early sleep.

"Naruto," Kakashi said, "how'd training go, did you complete the tree walking?"

The boy nodded dumbly before muttering a sentence. "And water walking."

The jounin was a little surprised, but proud. Sasuke looked a little upset. The Uchiha stood up and took his leave. "I need to go train, Kakashi, I don't want to hold our team back," he said.

"No, you are exhausted. Pushing your chakra limits this much could cause you to pass out in the water and drown."

Sasuke looked at the man. "I understand, but the stronger I become, the better it is for all of us." Kakashi's eye widened as Sasuke gave him a bow. "I am sorry, but I cannot follow your order."

'The last Uchiha, who doesn't even call me sensei, just bowed in respect to me? He must be serious.' "Alright, but if you get yourself killed, I'm not holding myself responsible."

Sasuke gave a wave and walked off towards a river he had seen with a large garden of medicinal herbs. The jounin turned to his other charge.

"You ok, Naruto, you haven't said anything. Did something happen?"

Naruto nodded with a deeper blush. "Sensei, how do you know if you…you know…"

The cycloptic ninja looked at him. "I'm not sure I follow."

The boy shifted in his seat a little. "How do you know if you…um….care about a girl?"

Kakashi looked at his student. 'Ah, I see. I guess it's about that time.' "Here, let's go into another room." He called out to Tsunami. "Tsunami, if it's not a bother, Naruto and I are going to have a talk in the room he and Sasuke share, could we take our food and tea in there?"

"Absolutely," she smiled, "the stir-fry is just about done, and I hope you like chicken."

"Thank you, you are a wonderful host," Kakashi said with a nod. Naruto and his sensei grabbed their plates and a small teapot and cups and walked upstairs to their new room.

"So, Naruto," Kakashi said, rolling down his mask and taking a bite of food, "what can I help you with?" Naruto just stared, first time seeing the jounin's face.

"Um…how do you know that some girl isn't, you know, just a friend to you?"

'And by girl, you mean Hinata,' he thought. "Well, it's different for everyone, really. You just find a girl and you click."

"Well, the girl I'm talking about…she's different than me. She's changed a bit lately, become more open and all, but she's still this cute, innocent girl to me."

Kakashi gave a small sigh. "This is Hinata we're talking about, right?"

He nodded. "I mean, when I thought she was going to fall from that tree, it was like my world just stopped. She was my first real friend, and when I'm around her, I'm just calm. All the hatred of the villagers and everything, it's just gone."

"Well, all I can tell you is that if you think she's special, hold onto her with everything you have."

Naruto nodded, "I will."

Meanwhile, Tsunami was having a similar talk with Hinata.

"I've been doing odd things around him," she said with a faint blush.

The older woman just smiled, "Like kissing?" The shy girl nodded.

"One night, I didn't have a tent or a bed to sleep on, but he offered to share with me. I told him he was a good person and he cried." Hinata looked down sadly. "He was in so much pain it made my heart break. We kissed and it felt like every nerve in my body was tingling."

Tsunami had a content look on her face. 'Young love,' she thought, 'I remember what that was like.' She thought of Inari's birth father.

"I've slept next to him twice and it has just felt right. I know we're getting older and we'll want to…well…"

"Do things," the woman probed gently. Hinata blushed and nodded.

"Today…to help him with concentrating, I was flirting with him. I showed him my stomach; I even rolled down my pants a little to tease him. The way he looked at me…" Hinata shivered. 'I want to see those eyes more.'

"You're blossoming into a very beautiful girl. You are going to develop the right curves that'll probably make your boy have more than one bad thought. "You're growing into who you are Hinata, embrace it."

"Thank you, Tsunami."

"But please, try not to push Naruto too much. Keep yourself moderately appropriate."

Hinata felt her face get hot, "What do you mean?"

Tsunami gave her a wink. "It means keep the bottom half of you and him off limits until you get to be 16 or so. I know you ninja grow up fast, but still."

Hinata blushed harder than she ever remembered and nodded furiously. "Now," Tsunami said, "you and Naruto look tired. I'm going to make both of you sleep. You have one more day of training before you have to protect that fucker," she said, spitting out the last words like they were cursed.

"Kakashi told me that once he goes to work, you three are the ones that have to protect him. So be strong." She put a hand on Hinata's head and ruffled her hair. "Bed time; let's get that boy of yours in bed too."

The two females headed upstairs. "Naruto," Tsunami said, opening the door, "time to go to bed, same with you Kakashi."

"But I'm not tired," the jounin said. Naruto was about to follow suit when Tsunami's stern look silenced the pair.

"Bed. Now," she said seriously. Kakashi left with a grumble. Hinata walked into the room.

"Goodnight Naruto-kun," the girl said, not meeting his eyes.

"Night, Hina," the boy replied, also keeping his gaze away, the pair were both sporting small blushes.

Behind them, Tsunami shut the door. "Good night you two, get some rest," she called out in a bright voice from behind the door. Tsunami walked downstairs to clean while Kakashi stalked off to his room.

"Hey Hina," the girl looked at Naruto as he spoke, "thanks for the help today. I don't think I'd ever have gotten as far along as I did today without you."

"I'm glad I could help," she said meekly.

"Can you turn around for a minute, I kinda need to get ready for bed." Hinata blushed and turned around. She saw that her bag, free from the confines of her scroll, was in the room as well.

"I need to do the same, I'll tell you when I'm ready." Naruto nodded and turned away. He shed his pants and black taijutsu suit as quickly as possible and put on a pair of white pajama pants. He placed his favorite nightcap on his head.

Hinata was also changing. She took off her tank top, exposing herself for the second time that day. She put on a white one that was not dirty. Her black pants dropped off her hips. The girl looked at her backside and down her front.

'I don't have any clean shorts to wear and these are worst possible panties to have on right now,' she screamed in her mind. While her white underwear covered her, it did expose a fair amount of her skin

"Um, Naruto-kun…" Naruto, still looking at the wall in front of him, fought the urge to turn around.

"You done," he asked, his heart beating faster. A soft sound of confirmation came from the heiress. Naruto crawled into his bed roll, not trusting his body if he looked at the girl.

Hinata slid in after him, curling her body into his. Naruto put an arm around her. The girl sighed happily. "Naruto-kun, forgive me but I have to say this."

The boy, who was quickly falling asleep next to the warm girl, yawned. "Anything, Hina."

The girl gave a gulp. "I like this, it feels…right."

Naruto planted a small peck on the girl's neck. Hinata smiled from the sign of affection. "You're right, it does." The pair cuddled closer and let themselves fall asleep, lost in each other.

Miles away, in a treetop retreat, a familiar missing-nin crushed half of an apple in his hand. He gave a psychotic laugh. At this rate, I'll be ready in two days! Haku," he growled, his dirty eyes looking the girl up and down, "go find more of those herbs to make my medicine."

His eyes roamed the girl again, from her black sandals and pants, to her tight light blue long-sleeved shirt and black vest, a gift from a slain Kirigakure ANBU. The girl left, tears forming from seeing those eyes of his.

She made her way towards where she had found a generous amount of herbs growing by a river. Unknown to her, a boy she had met before was lying unconscious in the very place she was heading.

Before he had passed out, Sasuke had grinned in triumph, having mannaged to walk on water.

* * *

I know...pretty heavy on the Naru/Hina, but that's because the entirety of the next chapter revolves around Sasuke and Haku! And after that, the end of the Land of Waves arc, which I'm expecting to be a hefty chapter, larger than this one. 


	8. Spoliate: Haku

**A/N: **Without further ado, I give you the last full chapter of the Land of Waves arc. I get the distinct impression a lot of people are going to be angry with this chapter. A lot of crazy things happen. And, as always, here's a little clarification:

Kyubi isn't evil. He's indifferent to humans. There will be no "Kyubi is trying to take Naruto over" crap. And as for Kyubi's chakra boosts.

Pure chakra: Naruto becomes mid-chunin in strength. It gives him a boost, meaning more strength and protection, but doesn't do much else.

1-tail: Becomes low jounin level. 2-tail: high jounin 3-tail: ANBU 4-tail: Kage 5-tail: Akatsuki 6-9: Strong enough that you can see why Uchiha Madara wants the tailed beasts so bad.

And as for the upcoming explanation for Haku's actions. Normal humans are made up of conditioned responses. Think of everything we do, it's all things that have been etched into our heads. In Haku's case, there's a little bit more. And when she talks in battle, it's her subconcious speaking for her. It is only at the end that she gets to control her speech, her body knowing it has lost.

Even for me, it seems a little far-fetched, but I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and as for our trio:

Unlike in the manga, Hinata grows up relatively happy, without everyone calling her weak. She is the genius prodigy of the main branch, just like Neji is to the side branch. I apologize if it seems like Hinata's skills are improving rapidly, but I think it's acceptable for her pace.

Same with Sasuke and Naruto. Well, Naruto isn't a prodigy, he just works hard. And hopefully you guys will see that a jounin deals with them pretty easily.

As I said, I am really concerned about people flaming this chapter. So much that I was considering a rewrite. I really hope its ok.

* * *

**Meeting between Sasuke and Haku**

It was early morning, with the grass damp from dew, when a 15-year-old kunoichi walked to a large garden of herbs by a river. She hummed a melody as she picked the correct herbs with ease.

Even though she seemed full of life, her eyes gave away her despair. She longed to be free, free from Zabuza and pain. She continued to gather the herbs she needed to make her master's medicine, yet it would be so simple to poison him.

In her long tenure with the man, since the night he found her on the side of the road, she had feared and hated him. But he had trained her into the perfect tool, a kunoichi who became emotionless in battle.

Zabuza, from the earliest he had known Haku, had lectured her. He spoke lies and half-truths to her once trusting ears, she had long since realized that the man could not be trusted. After years of the man dominating over her mind, yelling and berating her, training her to the brink of death, he finally got what he had wanted.

A body that would follow his command to death.

When she thought about it, she was constantly brought to tears. Her mind hated the man, hated what he stood for, and hated everything and anything about him. He was vile, disgusting, immoral…he was truly a demon.

But even though her mind would never bend to him, Zabuza had warped her subconscious through his abusive training. Her body, without fail, would follow his orders to the letter.

'I'm a puppet,' she thought, 'nothing more.' She would slaughter dozens of nameless men, women, and children, her mind screaming out to stop itself, but it never did. Truly, her body was not her own, it belonged to Zabuza.

The black-haired girl knew that she would have to fight the boys she met. 'I don't want to kill them, I don't want to kill them,' she repeated. She was miserable, her subconscious conditioned so well, even suicide would not work

She walked towards the river and stared at her reflection. She looked completely normal, like any village girl her age would. But when she saw her ninja attire, all Haku saw was a living breathing weapon.

Down the shore, a boy groaned as he awoke. It was the same boy she had met previously, she recalled the blonde boy calling him Sasuke.

Haku sat down at the water's edge, staring at it. "You'll die if you train yourself so hard, Sasuke," she muttered. The boy, who had been lifting himself to him feet, noticed the girl nearby. He recognized her in an instant.

"You," he said, weakly brandishing a kunai, "what do you want?"

"I'm not here to fight, I have no wish to," she said. "I simply come here to gather herbs to make medicine."

"Medicine for Zabuza," Sasuke said bluntly. He took status of his condition, seeing that he had perhaps a third of his strength.

"Don't bother thinking of fighting me," Haku said, pulling Sasuke's mind from that very thought, "As you are now, I'd kill you with ease. It's how I was trained." Her last words were sad, Sasuke noticed.

"Who are you," the Uchiha probed, putting his kunai in his pouch.

The girl gave a small smile, "My name is Haku, pleasure to meet you. May I ask your name?"

"Uchiha Sasuke," he muttered. Haku's brain wracked itself, trying to recall where she had heard of the Uchiha clan.

"Your clan sounds familiar," she said. Haku instantly wanted to retract the statement, seeing Sasuke's face harden.

"It's famous for my brother, Uchiha Itachi. He murdered my entire clan except for me; he said I wasn't worth killing." Sasuke clenched his fists.

Haku nodded, "You want to kill him, don't you," she asked. The boy nodded.

"It used to be my purpose in life. Avenge and rebuild my clan was the only thought I had. Then I met Uzumaki Naruto," he saw the look of confusion, "the blonde boy in black with the whisker marks." Haku nodded in understanding.

"You and I, we aren't so different," she said. "I too know what it's like to have my family torn away from me."

Sasuke sat down, a safe distance from the girl. "What happened?"

Haku looked down, sadly. "I was born in a small, snowy village near the border of **Mizu no Kuni**, the Land of Water. My clan was blessed with a genetic abnormality, a kekkei genkai."

'Just like the Uchiha with the Sharingan, but she doesn't need to know that,' he thought.

"My clan was hated by the village. We were seen as different and made outcasts. We mostly grew our own food and stayed to ourselves. In the Land of Water, kekei genkai such as my Hyoton, or the ability to create ice, were seen as abominations and were hunted down. The few of my family who survived dropped our clan name and fled into hiding."

"It's a shame you did not live elsewhere. In Konoha, our Shodai Hokage had a similar ability. His was Mokuton, the ability to use wood in ninjutsu. With it, he created our village."

"Truly, people can be blind," Haku said. "But I digress."

"Please continue," Sasuke said, the girl smiled at him and nodded.

"My clan lived for several generations in hiding, trusting only a few select people. We had to marry only men and women with no surrounding family, for fear of being found. It paid off; our clan became as large as twenty people, including me, just born."

Haku stared into the water. "But we were betrayed by my father, who had said he accepted our clan and our abilities. One night, he murdered my mother, who loved him too much to fight back. He tried to kill me, but in my fear I used my Hyoton, impaling the entire room in icicles. He died cursing me."

"I'm sorry," the boy said, lightly putting a hand on her shoulder.

"My father, however, had expected to die, so he had contacted the Village Hidden in Mist. Kirigakure jounin came and slaughtered the rest of my clan without mercy. I surived only by hiding in the woods."

"I know what you went through," Sasuke said. "Itachi and I used to be so close. He gave me training and helped me grow up. He was the genius of our clan, an ANBU captain before most became genin. I wanted to be like him so much."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "But one night I came home, and our entire Uchiha district had been killed. I found Itachi standing over the bodies of our parents. He left me alive, telling me to hate him and become strong enough to avenge the clan."

"Don't believe him," Haku stated. "Become stronger by wanting to stop your clan's murder, do not do it because you want to see him dead. In this world, the only thing an avenger can do is kill, and will do so until it claims their body."

Sasuke nodded at the girl's words.

"Tell me about your friends," the girl asked. "Naruto and that girl."

"The girl's name is Hinata, she's the heiress the Hyuga clan. They're very famous in Konoha. From what I know, she used to be pretty shy, but once she started talking to Naruto, that's changed. She's especially changed on this trip. She had to make her first kill, even though she didn't mean it."

"I remember my first kill. It was the only kill I was ever in control of." Sasuke looked at the girl oddly. "I found the jounin who had led the massacre of my clan. I had never been so angry. I did things with my Hyoton I never imagined possible. The fight nearly killed me; it did have me bedridden for almost two weeks. I've never been able to kill anyone at a jounin level since, they've been too strong for me, but him…he was so strong and yet I killed him. Hatred and rage are powerful things, but they do not bring the comfort you desire."

"Yes, Hinata took it extremely hard. She kept screaming in agony, she's so fragile." Haku gave a disbelieving look, which Sasuke caught. "I don't mean in battle. She's incredibly strong, but her mind hadn't grasped the full thought of killing. Naruto stayed with her and comforted her."

"What's your friend Naruto like, from what you say, you two seem close."

Sasuke gave a bitter laugh. "God is that a story," he groaned. "Well, to understand Naruto, at least I think I understand him, you have to know something."

"What's that?" The girl was curious about the boy's life.

"You say you were hated and made outcasts, but what Naruto suffers through to this day is much worse. From since the time he could remember things, he told me that people have always been glaring at him, throwing things, and trying to kill him. Our villagers refuse him food, clothing, and shelter. It is only through the Hokage's influence that Naruto get's what few things he has. The black taijutsu suit was a gift from his taijutsu mentor; it's one of the only gifts he's ever received."

Haku was about to speak when Sasuke interrupted. "Don't bother asking, not even I know why he's hated so much. But he's incredibly strong, and will not stop becoming stronger. I know he will surpass every ninja in the world. He's just too determined to prove to everyone that he isn't the monster people call him."

"I understand."

"No you don't," Sasuke said. "Do you know of something that you would give your life for without hesitation or regret? That's how Naruto feels about proving his worth. He would die for Konoha even though they would only celebrate his death. Naruto once told me he wants to be Hokage just to protect the people he cares about. I don't believe him. Whether he likes it or not, he would give himself up freely to save the lives of the people around him. He's the greatest ninja I know."

Haku sat silently. 'Uzumaki Naruto, how interesting. You too are interesting, Uchiha Sasuke.' "So why were you out here?"

"Practicing water walking, that way we can kill Zabuza," he said. Haku smiled at him.

"I'm glad someone will kill him, but I don't believe it can be you or your friend. Your sensei would be the only one who could kill him."

"True, but Kakashi isn't going to be fully recovered for a couple more days. He said a week." He looked uneasy as Haku became nervous.

"Then it will not happen, you are all going to die," she said. "Zabuza will be ready to fight again tomorrow. His healing has happened incredibly fast. My medicine will only speed it up."

"Then don't give it to him," Sasuke yelled.

"I have no choice. I cannot control myself, I am Zabuza's tool."'

Sasuke felt a small prickling behind his eyes. "What the hell do you mean you can't control it?"

"Do you think if I could control my body, I would be helping Zabuza? His methods have brainwashed my instincts to follow his orders. What ever he commands me to do; I must do, regardless of my personal objections. I told you, I am nothing more than a tool."

"No, you are a person Haku, a person who had a family. You are not a weapon for Zabuza to be used, not so long as your mind is against him."

"Promise me something Sasuke," the girl said, "promise me that when we fight you will not hold back. I want this all to end so much. I'm tired of fighting. I'm asking you to kill me tomorrow."

"What, you can't be serious," he yelled. "How can you ask me to kill you?"

"Imagine what it's like for me, Sasuke! I have nothing, no one. I don't even have myself! I can't keep doing this; eventually I'll break and become his tool fully. I want to die being myself."

"Haku," he muttered, "I don't know if I can kill you. I will promise you that I will fight you tomorrow with everything I have, but I cannot tell you if I'll be able to end your pain."

"It would be so easy to have you kill me now, but Zabuza has my body ready to defend itself always. If you tried, you'd die by my Hyoton."

Sasuke got up to leave. "Very well, tomorrow we are enemies. I hope you spend your potential last day without regret."

Haku nodded and stood up, staring at the boy walking away. "Sasuke, take this." She handed him a bundle of mixed herbs. "Mix this up and add it to a half cup of his tea. It'll help your sensei regain some of his strength. By tomorrow, he might be strong enough to help."

"Thank you Haku, you're a good person. I wish I could repay you by something other than killing you," he said, staring at the bundle of herbs.

Haku thought for a moment. "I do have one request then."

"Name it," he said.

"Give me a kiss. I don't know what it's like to feel love, I wish to know it if only briefly."

Sasuke looked at the beautiful girl. 'Haku, I hope you don't die tomorrow. You're too good a person to leave this world of villains.' He walked over to the girl and held her close to him.

The girl shivered, a warm feeling of content coming over her, an unfamiliar thing. "Sasuke," she murmured. The Uchiha kissed the girl tenderly, trying to give her some feeling of what love might be.

Tears streamed down her face as her body relaxed, for once not on guard for attack. She opened her mouth slightly, to which Sasuke deepened the kiss. After a minute, the girl pulled away blushing.

"Thank you Sasuke."

"You are welcome Haku, farewell," he turned away and gave her a wave from behind, knowing the next time they met; it would be for their lives.

Halfway through the afternoon, Haku returned to the treetop hideout, she spent almost her entire day wandering the town, taking in everything and doing whatever she wanted for the first time in her life.

She had seen a movie, eaten food she had never heard of, tried on a variety of different clothes, and walked around the beautiful surrounding landscape. When she returned, she was content to die the next day if it was her fate.

"Where have you been," Zabuza growled from his bed, "you know I need your medicine to be healthy for our strike tomorrow."

"I am sorry," she bowed, "it took me much longer to find the herbs than anticipated. Most were plentiful, but my last dose of medicine had left less than the needed amounts of some herbs."

"Just make it and give it to me," he said. "Then get the fuck out of her. You don't get to eat tonight."

"Why," she asked.

"I have no use for a tool that is becoming dull. See this as a reminder to stay sharp."

Haku left, not being able to stand the man's harsh laughter. She did exactly as she was told. She made his medicine, treated the remaining injuries he had, and went to bed without eating.

'Please find a way to end this Sasuke,' she thought before crying herself to sleep.

Sasuke came back to Tsunami's house after everyone had eaten. He spent the entire day thinking of strategies and perfecting one jutsu. He was tired, but would easily be ready to go tomorrow."

"Sasuke," Kakashi said as he walked into their shared room, Hinata and Naruto were already asleep in theirs. "Where have you been? We thought you might have died, we went looking for you."

"I met that hunter-nin from before, Haku. She told me that Zabuza will be ready to attack tomorrow. I hope whatever training those two have done is enough for this."

Kakashi gave a stern look. "What reason do we have to trust her?"

"Zabuza has her conditioned to obey his orders, she cannot control herself," Sasuke said. Kakashi let a bead of sweat roll down his brow.

'Conditioning to that level has only ever been done by Orochimaru, could he possibly have succeeded like the snake,' he questioned mentally.

"Here," he said, handing him a small bottle, "I mixed the medicine she gave me with some tea, it should help you get stronger. We're going to need you tomorrow, even if you aren't at your best."

"Sasuke," he said grimly, "you understand that we all might not come out alive from this?"

"Yea, I do."

Kakashi gave a yawn and drank his medicine. "I hope you're right about the girl. Let's get some rest, we will need it tomorrow."

**At the Bridge**

Kakashi walked ahead of the three genin and Tazuna, who wasn't hungover for once. He felt an ominous chill in his spine. His thoughts were confirmed when the group found a dozen dead bodies. Most were beheaded or had large sword wounds, but a few had been killed instantly by senbon.

"Useless," Tazuna said, "can't believe they got killed. Ah well, I can find more slaves from one of the construction companies." The man gave a small kick to a dead body. "At least I don't have to pay you all now," he said with a laugh.

There was no warning as two senbon soared towards the builder, aiming to kill him. They were knocked away by two of the jounin's shuriken. Before them appeared Haku and Zabuza, the latter looked at full health.

"Haku," the missing-nin said, "kill the brats. I'll take on the monkey." Without waiting for confirmation, Zabuza sped towards the weakened Kakashi, swinging mightly at him. Kakashi dodged, but by a lot less than he previously had.

"I see you aren't completely rested, a pity. I wanted to kill you at full strength." Zabuza began a combination of slashed. "Let's see how you are without that eye!"

Meanwhile, Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke stared at their opponent. Sasuke stepped forward.

"She's fast, let me deal with her." Sasuke pushed chakra into his feet and began attacking the girl in a fury of kicks and punches. Haku's body was caught off guard and began blocking until Sasuke landed a punch and a kick to her bag. The girl rolled on the ground but quickly jumped back to a fighting stance.

Haku moved with equal speed, throwing senbon at the boy with deadly accuracy. "I can't control myself Sasuke, you know this," she said as the Uchiha narrowly dodged the attack.

"I know, but I won't lose," he countered, throwing a volley of shuriken at the girl. She disappeared from sight before appearing to Sasuke's side. The boy caught her kick and spun her in the air. He kicked her down with his heel. As Haku bounced from the impact, he readied his jutsu. **"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"** The other members of the team stared in shock as the girl took the fireball head on. She was propelled into the railing of the bridge."

Haku got to one knee, coughing up blood. "Not bad, I see you are serious. I thank you. I am sorry. **Small needles of ice formed around Haku before soaring towards Sasuke. The needles moved so fast, all Sasuke could do was guard himself.**

**"****Futon: Reppusho!"**** Twin gusts of wind came out from Naruto's thrusting palms, shattering the ice needles and knocking Haku back into the railing again.**

**Hinata came at Haku, Byakugan activated, looking to disable the girl. Haku looked at her before creating several large chucks of ice that fired at the girl. Hinata used her jyuken to destroy a few of them, but she was overcome and one smashed into her, sending her flying backwards toward her teammates. Several cuts adorned her skin, Hinata got up, slightly shaking in pain.**

**"Now that you are all together, ****HiJutsu: Makyou HyouShou!" **All around the trio, mirrors of ice appeared. What shocked them was how Haku moved into the mirror, her reflection being shown on each mirror.

"You may be fast, but with these, I'm untouchable," she said. 'Stop! STOP! I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS!'

Sasuke and Hinata just barely dodged as the girl appeared out of nowhere and tried to cut their throats with a blade of ice. 'Fast,' the two both thought.

The pair turned to their friend, only to see his throat gush blood. The boy stared at them in shock. He gave them a small grin before he slumped over, unmoving.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata screamed, Kakashi turned his attention from his fight with Zabuza.

"It looks like my girl just got one of your boys. I wonder how long the rest will last." Kakashi glared at the man and attacked with taijutsu.

Hinata ran over to Naruto and held him, crying. She glared at the reflection of Haku with her Byakugan. "You're going to die," she said in anger.

She stood up, tears falling down her face. "Sasuke, this is going to hurt you a bit." Hinata began to spin rapidly.

"Naruto can't be dead," he muttered, "I don't want to lose my family again." 'Do it Hinata, I can handle it.'

Hinata pushed chakra out of every one of her tenketsu. "**Hakkesho Kaiten!"** Haku looked on in shock as a dome of spinning chakra expanded quickly. The moment it hit the ice mirrors, they shattered, leaving Haku to land gracefully outside its radius.

Hinata charged the girl with her jyuken. The only way Haku could dodge was by moving out of the way and creating ice to take the hits.

Sasuke went over to Naruto. "Naruto," he said to the unmoving boy, "you can't die. You just can't. You're my brother, I can't lose you." Sasuke began crying on the boy's chest.

Sasuke felt a hand pat his head. He looked at Naruto, who was smiling, all trace of his cut throat gone. "Aw, I didn't know you felt that way Sasuke. But if you want to rebuild your clan, you're going to need girls, not guys."

The Uchiha couldn't help himself; he punched Naruto in the head. "You fucking idiot, how are you still alive?"

Naruto stopped smiling and turned his head to Hinata, who was being knocked back by the ice. She had about a dozen needles stuck in her body. "Not now, go help Hinata, I'll be there once I'm all back, give me a minute." Naruto held up a shiny kunai, showing Sasuke his reflection. "Besides, those eyes of yours should come in handy."

He looked at his reflection. Instead of black eyes, his eyes were now red, each with one tomoe surrounding the pupil.

'The Sharingan!' He looked over to Haku. 'I'm sorry Haku, but I can't let them die.' He charged the two girls. "Hinata, Naruto's alive, fall back. Haku is mine," he yelled. Hinata, hearing her love was alive, ran back to help him.

Haku was quickly overcome by the Uchiha, who was moving far faster than she thought possible. He began assaulting the girl with kicks and punches. He pushed Haku backwards, before slide-tackling the girl. Sasuke stood up from his slide and laced his fingers together into one large fist. He cracked the falling girl in the back of the head, causing her face to smash the concrete hard.

Haku began coughing up blood. 'Do it Sasuke!' "You can't kill me Sasuke, I know it."

Sasuke stared sadly at the fallen girl. He knew he had broken her legs. "I pray you can leave this life happy with some of my love, Haku." Sasuke flicked his right wrist, and a dagger came out of his arm warmer. "Sayonara, Haku-chan…"

Kakashi had seen Sasuke charge the girl. "Enough play, let's end this in one move."

"Alright monkey, let's see what you've got!" He saw Kakashi pull up his headband, exposing the Sharingan. "Such a vulgar move, a ninja shouldn't use their best technique so openly!"

"Consider yourself lucky," he said as he formed three seals, "You're the first to see it twice. There won't be a third time. **Raikiri!"** Kakashi gripped his right hand by the forearm, his right hand now covered in visible lightning chakra.

'The chakra is visible…what a technique to defeat,' Zabuza thought in glee. He charged the man with as much speed as possible. He swung diagonally at the man with all his strength, only to see Kakashi dodge under it and to the side.

"Your future is death, Demon of the Mist," Kakashi said, thrusting his hand towards the man's heart.

Sasuke brought his dagger down with his eyes closed, hoping to end Haku's life painlessly and not be burdened by it for life. He was shocked when his strike hit air.

Naruto stood up, with Hinata helping him despite his protest. He pointed over to Kakashi and Zabuza. The sight the three saw would stick with them for years to come.

Haku had used her ice mirrors to move in front of Kakashi's attack, killing her instantly. Kakashi jumped backwards, dropping Haku on the ground as he landed. He let out a grunt and fell to a knee. 'Shit, I used too much chakra. Hopefully I've injured and fatigued Zabuza enough for them to beat him.'

The swordsman gave Kakashi an insane look before kicking him away, causing him to skid to a halt by his team.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto yelled, "are you alright?" Kakashi coughed.

"I'm done for this fight. I think I might have tired him enough for you to win, but I don't know."

They were interrupted by the mad laughter of Zabuza. He was kicking the dead body of a serenely smiling Haku. "You piece of shit," he yelled, stomping on her. "You're supposed to be my weapon! What possible used are you to me dead?" He stabbed his sword through the girl's black vest.

"You freak, get away from her," Naruto yelled. "You used her."

"She hated you," Sasuke said, shaking in anger. "She wanted to die so badly to escape all the pain you caused her and you just made her suffer more."

The missing-nin looked up in bliss, "Ah, I'll miss the way she screamed." Sasuke yelled and charged the man with his Sharingan blazing, only to be thrown back by a swing from the broad side of his sword. Sasuke doubled over next to his sensei, having felt his ribs crack.

"Haku was nothing more than a pawn to be used. She was a freak from birth, a true monster. And monsters are good for nothing but destruction, they aren't even human."

"Shut the fuck up," Naruto yelled.

"Does it hurt boy? Knowing that Haku is nothing more than a monster and a piece of meat? But now I need a new piece of meat." In a flash he had punched Naruto away and kicked the two downed shinobi with him.

He then appeared behind the Hyuga girl, skillfully tying her hands up. He cupped her face. The tiny girl shook in his hand. "I think this girl will do nicely. Young, innocent, and best of all….virgin."

Zabuza's hand grabbed Hinata's breast through her jacket. She screamed out. "Stop it!" She tried to kick him but he was unaffected. The Hyuga weren't known for leg strength.

Naruto knelt, doubled over, staring at the scene. Zabuza just stared at him. "Let's have some fun. How loud will she scream when my hands claim her virginity?" He slid a hand up Hinata's thigh.

Instead of seeing the scene, Naruto found himself in his mind once more. He stared at the cage. "Kyubi," he said seriously.

Wide rows of teeth and red eyes stared back at him. "**Yes, kit?"**

"From now on, I'm charging you rent. You give me your chakra when I want it. After all, I die, you die."

Kyubi laughed, **"Such fire, such passion! That's why I respect Minato! I'd expect nothing less from his son!"**

"Swear on your honor as a kitsune and the most powerful of the demons that you will not attempt to corrupt me," Naruto said. "If you try, I'll kill myself, ending your life too.

"**Your emotions cloud you. With this seal, I cannot alter your behavior; my chakra only augments what you feel. So my kit," the demon grinned, "what do you want?"**

"Right now, I want to save Hinata and kill Zabuza."

'**Good kit, good. I have hope for you yet.' "Then it shall be so!"**

Just before Zabuza could touch a crying Hinata, he felt an explosion of chakra. Before he could think, a fist had connected with his jaw, shattering it and sending the man flying.

Hinata fell to the ground, weeping. She looked up at her savior and gasped.

It was Naruto, but different. His hair had become untamed and wild. His whisker marks had become deeper and more visible. His canines had become long and had developed small clawed nails on his hands, but what shocked her most were his eyes.

In the place of the endless blue eyes she could get lost in, they were replaced with murderous red eyes with slits for pupils. But despite his demonic look, she knew he meant no harm.

"Hina," he said, his voice slightly deeper and more gravely, "are you alright?" She stared up into his concerned face and nodded, still crying. "Please turn away, I don't want you to see this."

Zabuza stood up, clutching his broken jaw. He charged the boy with an attack speed that would kill most chunin. He let out a pained smirk as he brought the blade down.

"You take such pride in you sword, perhaps I should take it from you," Naruto growled. Zabuza stared in horror as the boy had caught the blade with one hand. He tore the blade from Zabuza's hands and tossed it away like it was nothing.

Naruto took an upward slice with his claw, removing Zabuza's arm with one swing. The swordsman screamed in agony and leapt backwards, making one-handed seals.

"**Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu,"** he screamed. A massive dragon of water formed from the water blow the bridge and reared its head over the side. He lunged for Naruto, who flared his chakra. The water dragon fell apart with a splash that flooded the area. The kneeling Kakashi and Sasuke were nearly knocked back by the force.

It was another shockwave as the explosion of chakra hit everyone. Kakashi looked at Naruto in concern. 'Has the seal broken?'

'What is this power," Sasuke thought, "it feels so deadly and evil." Hinata just held on to the bridge railing, he knees shaking.

Zabuza shook violently at the killing intent that was aimed at him. The red chakra, visible chakra, around the boy felt like murder. Feeling it made Zabuza just want to die. "You fucking monster," he screamed. "You're a demon!"

Naruto glared at the man, his features returning back to normal. "I thought that was your title," Naruto said, charging with the last bit of Kyubi's chakra and delivered a massive punch to the missing-nin's good shoulder, shattering the joint.

The swordsman could only scream in pain. Naruto looked down at the kneeling man in hatred. "You are the worst kind of person. You use people, love only yourself, and treat everyone else like trash! You are just like the villagers from Konoha!"

'Naruto,' Sasuke thought mentally. Hinata had stopped shaking, but was still crying. Kakashi just prayed that his sensei's seal had worked.

"I'll give you this time to pray to whatever deity you believe in." In retaliation, Zabuza spat on Naruto's feet.

"I need no deity! I am Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist!" Naruto just looked at the man in disgust.

"Being called a demon is not something you should be proud of you sick freak," Naruto spat. "You aren't a demon, but you aren't human."

"I'll show that little girl of yours how much of me is human, I can't wait to hear her scream!" Zabuza laughed, the last shred of his sanity gone.

Naruto turned to his team. "Sasuke, I expect you to look after the team until I wake up."

Sasuke just nodded while Kakashi and Hinata looked at Naruto in confusion. "I'll make sure we get rid of Gato, he should be here soon enough to insure his job is finished."

"Good, I'll see you guys in a few days." Naruto looked at Hinata. "Forgive me for not saving you sooner."

Hinata sniffed and nodded. "I'll be fine soon enough Naruto-kun."

The boy smiled. "Keep me company while I'm out, please." Hinata looked at him oddly. 'She'll understand in a minute.'

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto called to the jounin, "get better fast, we need you."

Naruto then rounded on the mutilated swordsman. "To honor Haku, I'll make sure not a bit of you is left. I'll even let you take my name to the grave."

"FUCK YOU, I'LL KILL YOU!"

Naruto made one seal and molded enough chakra that he knew he'd be knocked out for a while. 'I really hope I'm not out for a week like last time.'

"Remember me Zabuza. I am Uzumaki Naruto..."

Naruto then looked at his teammates one last time, before saying words that would be the sole thought of the two genin over the next 3 days.

"…the jinchuuriki of the Kyubi no Yoko!"

Zabuza's eyes widened as Naruto took in an impossibly deep breath. The name of his technique echoed in the blonde's mind.

'**Futon: Renkudan!'**

An enormous ball of wind expelled from the boy's mouth, hitting Zabuza and tearing through his body instantly. In less than half a second, there was no piece of Zabuza larger than a fist.

Naruto stumbled around, feeling his body giving out. He turned his head to Hinata, who was running towards him. He connected with the girl's eyes for a moment as he fell.

"Love ya Hina."

* * *

Not what you expected with Haku, eh?

And plz plz plz, I hope it's not too bad, don't flame me plz.


	9. Hiashi, Gaara, and the Lady in Red

**A/N:** My bad for not updating yesterday, but I was exhausted. It's kind of hot around here, and getting paid to run around for 8 hrs a day takes a toll on you. Anyway, here's what's up. I decided to give official strength ratings for our three genin.

Hinata: **Ninjutsu:** genin **Taijutsu:** mid/high chunin **Genjutsu:** genin **Overall: **low chunin/high genin

Naruto: **Ninjutsu: **high chunin **Taijutsu: **mid chunin **Genjutsu: **nonexistant **Overall: **mid chunin

Sasuke: **Ninjutsu: **mid chunin **Taijutsu: **mid chunin **Genjutsu:** low chunin (now that he has the Sharingan) **Overall: **mid chunin

Anyway, the next chapter will be the beginning on the chunin exams and part one of the second stage of the exam. Chapter after that will be the second half of the Forest of Death. And finally, after that will be the prelim fighting. Also...I'm not going to go in depth into the training that certain characters will go into for the final part of the chunin exam. You'll learn what happened through explanation. Sorry, but I can't write a whole chapter of just training.

Oh, and no, some pervert isnt going to be coming after Hinata every chapter...or anymore. Just, she's a developing cute girl, and Zabuza's a d-bag.

Naruto's weapons are a pair of chokuto. Chokuto are straight edged swords, with one edge being sharp. Naruto's are black and white, and the wood is colored such. He keeps them on his back, with each facing the other way, so he can just reach behind with both hands and grab them. This does leave him vulnerable, however.

(here's a photo of a chokuto)

And I'm sorry that Haku is dead, but I'm trying to keep the general bit of the Naruto timeline as intact as possible.

* * *

**3 Days Later…**

Kakashi and his team leapt from tree to tree, making great time. Tree-jumping was a Konoha basic skill for ninja. Using leg power and the slightest bit of chakra, you traveled almost 5 times as fast to your destination. Its price, however, was that it drained one's stamina more than walking, which is why, after 6 hours of this, Hinata asked to rest.

"Kakashi-san," Hinata called out, the jounin turned his head while jumping. Sasuke also looked backwards.

"Yes, Hinata?"

"Can we stop for a rest, I'm afraid I can't keep up this pace for much longer," she askekd, sitting tiredly on a branch.

'About time, I'm amazed she lasted this long. Even Sasuke must be slightly tired. Hinata's stamina has improved,' Kakashi thought. "Absolutely, I'm getting a little tired myself.

He wasn't lying; carrying a sleeping blonde boy on your back for 6 hours was not his idea of fun. Kakashi couldn't even read his book. He fell to the ground and put Naruto up against a tree.

"When do you think he'll wake up," Sasuke asked. He was worried for the boy, though he'd never show the extent of it. He did have an image to upkeep. 'Last time Naruto used that jutsu was in practice at full strength, and he was out for almost a week.'

That is what worried the Uchiha. Naruto hadn't been at full strength. He had just almost been killed, which had to have fatigued the boy.

More so than anything, what Naruto had said before he had used his **Futon: Renkudan** was what concerned the two genin the most.

"_I am Uzumaki Naruto…the jinchuuriki of the Kyubi no Yoko!"_ Hinata and Sasuke had spent the last two days trying to figure out what a 'jinchuuriki' was. Kakashi was hesitant to give them any information, aside from its translation.

_"It means 'power of human sacrifice,'__the jounin said. He walked off, following their mission order to protect the old man until the bridge was complete. It would be finished today._

Kakashi looked at the genin, who had once more huddled together, trying to work out what kind of sacrifice the boy was and how it involved the defeated Kyubi of years ago.

He thought back on what had happened this morning.

_Kakashi walked into the blonde's room, moving silently past the sleeping Hinata. He could see her eyes were swollen from crying. 'You idiot, Naruto, just look how sad you're making her.'_

_When he looked at the boy, he was surprised to see half-open eyes staring at him. "I'm not surprised you're awake, you've gotten much better with chakra. Hinata told me you inadvertently learned water-walking, I'm proud."_

_The boy gave a small, strained nod. "How's she?" His eyes moved over to Hinata, although his body could not._

_"This has been a trying trip for her. She killed a man and she was violated by Zabuza." Naruto let out a tiny growl, then winced in pain. "But she will be fine, solely because you saved her. She knows you'll always have her back."_

_"You're wondering about the __**Renkudan**__aren't you," he muttered, seeing Kakashi's stiff posture._

_He sighed. "I'm wondering about a lot of things, I'd like you to tell me everything you think I need to know."_

_The boy concentrated his face in strained thought for a moment. "The Yamanaka didn't die from misuse of her jutsu. It worked, she entered my mind, and it was like seeing a play. I could see it all, but I couldn't do anything."_

_"What happened to her," He asked, not actually wanting his hunch to be correct._

_"To be blunt, she entered my mind…and landed directly in Kyubi's cage." Kakashi winced._

_"Have you been in contact with the demon at all," he asked. Naruto nodded._

_"Yes, when I was 10 he helped me change from being an idiot. At the bridge was the first time we spoke in years. I blackmailed him for his chakra."_

_"You can't trust him, he might just be using you," the jounin stated._

_Naruto swore he could hear an offended growl. "Maybe, but I don't think so. Kyubi said he attacked because he had to. Oh, and he told me about the __**Futon: Renkudan.**_**"**

_Before Kakashi could say anything, Naruto interrupted. "What happened to Tazuna and Haku," he asked with a bitter tone._

_"The evening he finished the bridge, the village council sent several men to arrest him. He's to stand trial for treason and possibly face execution. Haku was buried in a meadow that Tsunami found. It's very beautiful, it'll suit her."_

_Naruto gave a nod, "He deserves it." Naruto winced. "I need to go back to sleep, but do me one favor."_

_"Anything."_

_He stared into his sensei's one revealed eye. "Tell them the truth." Naruto then felt his strength give and passed out._

**"**Sasuke, Hinata," he said seriously, the genin turned around towards him, "come over here."

The genin followed his order and sat down next to him. "Hai," Hinata asked politely.

"I wanted you two both to know that Naruto woke up for a few minutes this morning. He had given me permission to tell you both about his secret, the reason why all but a few people hate him unconditionally."

"What exactly is a jinchuuriki," Sasuke asked seriously. "You said it was the 'power of human sacrifice,' but Naruto is still alive. How is he a sacrifice?"

Kakashi sighed. "Before I begin, you must understand something. You were not born into a time of ninja war, the last one ended before you were born. In fact, it ended several years before the Kyubi attack."

"Understood," Hinata said.

"No you don't, neither of you do. Full scale war between multiple countries is a horror I pray none of you see. During the Third Great Shinobi War, no place, save for a hidden village, was safe. Battles were fought constantly, each side losing countless ninja. As fatalities rose, the villages began seeking new ways to obtain power."

"What did they do," Sasuke asked. "How did they get more power?" Kakashi noticed the faintest bit of eagerness to his voice.

'Apparently Naruto hasn't rid Sasuke of all of his avenger mindset.' "Calm down, Sasuke. As I said, many villages began looking for new forms of power. Human experiments were done, using artificial enhancements to make their ninja more deadly. There were suicide ninja who would slaughter as many enemies as possible before detonating the hidden explosive tags all over their bodies."

Hinata gasped in horror. "That's just…sick," she muttered.

"But none," Kakashi said, ignoring the girl's outburst, "compared to the worst of the worst, a truly despicable art."

"What was it," the Uchiha was hooked on the story. He and Hinata hung on his every word.

"The villages, save for Konoha, resurrected a forbidden and dangerous technique. With it, they felt they would be unstoppable. The ultimate goal was to use the mythical tailed beasts for the means and ends of their people."

"T-that's insane," Sasuke yelled. "It's suicide. Is it even possible to control them?"

"No, Sasuke, it is not. The majority of the tailed beasts are not violent. They do not seek out battle; they are noble beings worthy of our respect. But there are exceptions, such as the One-tailed Tanuki, Shukaku. He was well known by our allies in Suna. His lunacy is the things of legend."

"So why did ninja attempt to control these forces if they meant no harm to us," Hinata asked.

"The same reason anyone does anything stupid: greed and envy. Konoha, with the future Yondaime Hokage as leader, would decimate entire squadrons of enemies with one technique. It's the greatest of all the **Raiton** jutsu, the **Hiraishin no jutsu, **or Flying Thunder God Technique. With it, he would move with speed greater than anyone in the world."

He cleared his throat. "With such insurmountable odds, our enemies turned to the demons, having learned that Suna still practiced the art. Eventually, several other villages succeeded."

"What did they succeed in Kakashi," Sauske asked with urgency. 'And what does this all have to do with Naruto?'

"What happened," the heiress asked.

"They succeeded in bringing back to life the most forbidden art," Kakashi said. He stared seriously at his charges. "They managed to seal the demons into newborn children."

The words hit the pair, stunning them. It was unspeakable, sealing such uncontrollable power into innocent children.

"Then Naruto is…" Sasuke was cut off by Kakahi's hand.

"Naruto is the boy that saved our village from certain destruction. Yondaime used a new, forbidden summoning technique to defeat Kyubi. He summoned the Shinigami, who sealed the kitsune into his son at the price of his soul."

'Naruto-kun…'

'I'm sorry Naruto, you don't deserve life like this.'

"He had wanted his son to be seen a hero who would be a constant sacrifice for his village. But he was not. Instead, Naruto has been yelled at, harassed, and beaten almost every day of his life. If not for the demon healing him, Naruto would have died long ago."

"On the bridge," Hinata said, "he lived because of the kitsune?"

"Yes," Kakashi said, "and he threatened the most powerful of the demons in order to get enough chakra to save you, Hinata."

She stared at the man in awe. 'He threatened Kyubi to save my life,' he thought with a faint red tinge to her face.

"So that's why everyone treats him like shit and calls him a monster," Sasuke said angrily. "He fucking saved us all and this is the thanks he gets?" Sasuke's mind trailed to a certain pink-haired girl.

"I swear, if I ever see the Haruno around again, I'm going to show her just what my kekkei genkai can do."

"Now that you know, let's keep moving. It's only about 2 hours to Konoha from here." The pair nodded. Kakashi was surprised to see his student put Naruto on his back, deciding to carry him the rest of the way.

'You've come a long way, Sasuke. You're no longer the little kid every ninja was worried would abandon Konoha.'

Hinata stayed silent, thinking about the burden that her love was carrying. 'Naruto, I swear I'll help you shoulder that pain of yours. I swear it on my…no, on our nindo.'

It was late into the afternoon when Sasuke, carrying the blonde boy, Kakashi, and Hinata walked through the main gate of the village, signing in with two chunin.

"Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Hyuga Hinata reporting. We just finished a protection mission of one, Tazuna, to the Land of Waves. Mission ranking was false, however. Due to chunin and jounin shinobi interference, this mission ranks as an A-class. We, however, have been compensated by the Wave."

"Affirmitive," the left chunin said. "And what of _him_," the man said bitterly, pointing his pencil at the unconscious Uzumaki.

"Chakra drain from fighting and defeating the missing-nin Momochi Zabuza," Kakashi said, smiling at the look on the faces of the two chunin. "I expect the bounty to be forwarded to the Hokage's private savings account for the boy.

"And if it isn't…" Kakashi pointed to his covered Sharingan eye, "you will have to deal with me."

With that, they left. Kakashi decided that, due to Naruto's condition, he would be unsafe in his apartment. The villagers, once they learned that the 'demon' had killed a former ANBU and S-ranked criminal, they would want his head.

"We can't take him to the Uchiha compound, it's just me there. And one genin isn't a match for the horde of villagers and potential shinobi I'd encounter." Kakashi nodded.

"Yes, and I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to be at constant surveillance of Naruto, or I would take him." Kakashi said.

Sasuke had a devious thought. "You know what we need Kakashi," he said slyly. "We need a place with a lot of people."

"A place with people who don't hate Naruto," Kakashi said, catching on.

"A place where you could see every possible threat from every angle," he said with a smirk.

Hinata stared at the two men, who were smirking at her. "Um…what did you have in mind," the girl asked, pushing her pointer fingers together for the first time in days.

"Well," Kakashi said with a smiling eye, "let's go visit Hiashi, shall we?"

Hiashi had been having a relatively normal day. He awoke early, trained his youngest daughter Hanabi in basic jyuken techniques, and met with the village council. As usual, it had been a bunch of political banter that Hiashi loathed. He wanted his clan and the village to be strong; he didn't want to squabble over minute details.

But with the chunin exams coming, he had to admit the meetings had become more interesting.

The meeting had concluded with potential ways to deal with the Kyubi brat, as they referred to him as. As always, it was at this point that Hiashi always left.

It was difficult, after seeing his brother Hizashi die for the clan, not to understand and appreciate the noble act of a sacrifice. He and his clan had a long history with Nibi, and respected the demons.

He was also one of few who questioned why Kyubi had attacked Konoha without provocation. But that was not a pertinent concern. What was, however, was the current predicament that he found himself in.

Entering the courtyard where he and Neji were training, an offer from Hiashi to help quell the boy's hatred was his daughter and the interim team she had been assigned to. He recognized the copy-nin Hatake Kakashi and his student Uchiha Sasuke. His white eyes, however, were focused in on the unconscious boy the Uchiha was carrying.

Before Hiashi could speak, Neji had seen the boy. "I see the Uzumaki was clearly a burden."

The Uchiha bent down in front of Kakashi, who took the boy off his back. "Would you like to say that one more time…" He looked at Hinata for his name.

"Neji."

"Hyuga Neji," Sasuke questioned. The older, white-eyed boy still frowned.

"There is no need for hostility, for you will surely lose. I merely stated a fact, that Uzumaki Naruto is a burden of a ninja whose only good will is dying on a mission."

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, glaring daggers into the boy. "Naruto has been through more pain that you will ever know. You only show your own stupidity speaking."

Neji merely walked off. "I do hope we meet again, Uchiha. It'll be my pleasure to show you how truly weak those eyes of yours are."

Hiashi gave a small bow. "My sincerest apologies for my nephew, he harbors so strong a hate. Now may I ask how my daughter's first mission went?"

Kakashi nodded. "But first, do you have a place we could put my student. He's weak from chakra exhaustion."

This surprised the man. For the son of Namikaze Minato and the vessel of the kitsune to be exhausted, he must have stretched his chakra reserves.

"May I ask how he came to this condition," Hiashi asked. Hinata nodded.

"Father, Naruto-kun used the **Futon: Renkudan **to finish off Momochi Zabuza, who was hired to kill our client."

Hiashi was blindsided to say the least. "Correct me if I am wrong, but you said that the Uzumaki used a particularly draining A-ranked jutsu and lived, not to mention killed an S-ranked criminal?"

"That is correct," Kakashi said. "Not to mention that Hinata defeated a chunin with no difficulty. The mission was enough of a success that I will be nominating Sasuke and Naruto for the chunin exams, and will be telling Kurenai to consider the same of Hinata."

The news came as a pleasant gift to the pair. Kakashi put Naruto down on a bed in one of the compound's many guest rooms. Hiashi closed the door before ushering the trio into his office, where he sat down in a chair behind his desk. The ninja took three of the four seats by the desk.

"So, may I ask as to why you are visiting the Hyuga?"

'Straight to business, alright then.' "As you know, the news about Naruto's strength might disturb a few of the villagers, and potentially one or more of the clans," Kakashi said.

"That is very true. To think of the boy showing so much strength, one might think…" The clan head caught himself before breaking the Sandaime Hokage's law.

"It is fine, Father. Naruto-kun allowed Kakashi-san to tell us about his burden," she said politely. Her heart reached out for the poor boy.

"And yet neither of you show him any ill intentions. You are a testament to your respective clans," he praised the young genin, smiling at his daughter.

"Arigato, Hiashi-sama," Sasuke murmured. Kakashi was amused by the boy's respect for an elder, something he'd never done.

"Because of this," the jounin continued, "we were hoping you would house Naruto until he recovers. He heals fast, so it would only be for several days."

Hiashi thought long on this. 'Please, oh please, please God please," Hinata kept praying in her head.

"I cannot see a reason why not. No one would dare attack the Hyuga to get at the boy. It's suicide."

Kakashi stood up, revealing an orange book. "Thank you for your generosity. However, I must leave. The Hokage is having a meeting for the genin exam recommendations."

"When is it," Sasuke muttered.

"Hm," the man thought, "I believe it started about half an hour ago." With that, he left in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke then bid Hinata farewell. "It was good working with you, take care of the idiot, I need to get training. Remember, the exam starts next week." The dark-haired boy then left, leaving the clan head and the heiress alone.

"Did you get my scroll, Hinata," he asked in a normal tone.

"Yes, I did father. I completed the **Kaiten** in two days." It was not the first time the Hyuga clan head had been surprised that day.

"That is remarkable. For most of the main branch, it takes a week to get the fundamentals down. Come, I want to see how much you've improved. That and we must begin training you for the chunin exams."

"Hai," she said, following her father out into the courtyard.

For the next couple days, Hinata and Hiashi would train. Each day Hinata improved on her jyuken and on the **Kaiten. **The Hyuga found himself a very proud father. Hiashi also noticed that once the Uzumaki had woken up, he had spent the entire day watching and cheering his daughter on.

He also noticed how she significantly improved while Naruto was around, something Hiashi hoped would replicate itself in the exams. A Hyuga had not been in the chunin exams for over ten years, the last war and few children had seen to that.

With only two days left, Kakashi had given Sasuke and Naruto their own slips to sign if they wished to participate in the exams. Naruto, who had just started being near top condition, spent countless hours training. He spent his time honing the jutsu he knew and practicing taijutsu, the same with his counterpart.

It was no secret, they both wanted to fight each other badly. They had never sparred before, not wanting to give up any of their secrets to the other. Team 7 bared no ill-will towards each other, but they still were always ready for a good fight.

Team 7 now walked down a street, towards the academy, where the first part of the exam was being held. Kakashi had only said that the test had 3 parts, and the first part was at the academy.

"You know my taijutsu is going to kick your ass, Sasuke," Naruto grinned. Sasuke just smirked.

"Your futon is nothing compared to my katon, Naruto. Fire is strong against wind, which leaves you at the disadvantage."

Naruto just stretched his arms. What was noticeable was that each forearm now had white bandages, which went from his hands to his elbows. Sasuke stared at them, knowing that underneath them were weights, used to make his blows hard, and if removed, faster.

The boy saw the Uchiha looking. "Don't even act all scared, I know you have some weights under your arm warmers, I saw you get some from Gai."

'Shit, busted," the Uchiha thought. He put his hands in his pockets.

Naruto chuckled, thinking about how Sasuke didn't know about the shin guards under his pants, which were also laden with weight. 'You were faster before, but I think I've caught up.'

The team continued walking. As they turned the corner, they saw a man in a black outfit and hood holding a boy up by the collar. Sasuke and Naruto snickered at his purple facepaint.

"Naruto," Sasuke asked. The boy looked at him with a questioning look. "I think that's Konohamaru, the Hokage's grandson."

"Then do something," Naruto grinned, "be the Uchiha who swoops in and saves the day."

Sasuke picked up a rock and threw it at the boy's wrist, causing him to drop Konohamaru. The grandson and his friends ran behind the two genin, cowering.

"You act all tough, but picking on little kids is for the weak." Sasuke said. He had noticed a girl with four pigtails attempt to dissuade her brother, but resigned herself to being uncaring. "Next time listen to your sister."

Sasuke charged the boy with great speed, punching the boy in the gut before making distance between the two.

He saw the boy move his fingers, causing several pieces of debris to soar at him. Sasuke dodged it with little difficulty.

'So that's what he is. Interesting,' he thought. He was about to charge when he felt a large killing intent appear out of nowhere.

Naruto felt it just as it started, and by the time Sasuke felt the killing intent, he had pulled two chokuto out from their sheaths that rested on his lower back horizontally.

He stood on a tree branch, straight-edged blades in a cross pattern inches from his target's neck, reading to kill if necessary. The straight-edged blades shone brightly. The one it his right hand had a white wooden handle, while the other was black. Their sheaths matched the wood.

"Are you done," a slightly deeper female voice than Hinata's called out.

Sasuke looked at the boy, who was staring up into the tree in fear. Whether out of fear of Naruto or the newcomer, he didn't know.

His partner had his chokuto unsheathed, ready to slice the target's head off. The target, however, was a girl.

Naruto stared at the girl, who glared at him. She was slightly shorter than him. His blue eyes met green orbs with rings around it that looked like too much eyeliner. He knew better, though. It was a sign of insomnia.

His eyes trailed down, seeing white shinobi sandals and loose white cargo ninja pants. She also wore a much thinner red tank top than Hinata's black one, which was slightly wider. The girl also had a peculiar one-shouldered white vest, which held a large gourd on her back. Naruto saw two long, red ponytails and the kanji for 'love' tattooed on her left temple.

"What are you looking at," the girl said with the slightest hint of menace.

'She's not even afraid with my swords by her neck. Who is this person?' "How the fuck should I know? I don't even know you."

Kankouro and Temari gave a small gasp and backed away a little in fear.

"So," Naruto glared, sheathing his swords, "do I get your name, Suna nin? Or can I just call you a flat-chested, creepy-eyed bitch?"

'Gaara's going to kill that kid!'

'Please don't kill him Gaara, it'll be annoying.'

"Sabaku no Gaara," the girl said, "and you are?" Naruto didn't stop staring at the girl.

"Uzumaki Naruto, and my partner down there is Uchiha Sasuke, the two best genin in Konoha!" Naruto gave a cocky grin, before his nose picked up something.

"Kankouro," Gaara said, the black-clothed boy flinched. "You are a disgrace to our village. Next time I'll kill you."

The girl then registered the odd boy who was sniffing her, his nose near her neck. "What are you doing," she said with no emotion.

Naruto looked down at the girl's vest then back up. "My bad, I take back the flat-chested thing. Your vest just makes them seem small." Said boy looked peered behind the girl. "Nice ass though, least you've got something working."

Gaara felt what little control of not killing the boy slipping. "Get out of our way." The girl appeared on the ground in a swirl of sand and walked off, her team following her nervously.

The blonde jinchuuriki jumped down next to Sasuke, and they took off, a noticeable distance from the sand ninja.

"You sure have a way with girls, Naruto. Hinata's going to be pissed, you know," Sasuke said.

'Shit, didn't think about that.' While they weren't dating, Naruto figured that his stunt would probably earn him a couple closed tenketsu. While the jyuken didn't work on him, it still hurt like hell.

"Hey Gaara," he yelled out at the girl ahead of him, who stopped and barely turned her head.

"The view from here is fucking great, thanks," he yelled, staring at the girl's backside. Naruto swore he could see a little sand swirling around Gaara's feet.

The Suna team just continued walking on, albeit with two very nervous team members.

'Uzumaki Naruto,' Gaara thought, 'you will be a fun one to kill.'

As they walked, neither of Team 7 noticed a genjutsu from the rooftops above. The caster dispelled it, revealing a girl with a long red hooded coat, the front exposing some of her neckline. The tails of the coat flowed down her sides and to the back of her legs. She wore very short black shorts and knee-high black boots. On her hands were black gloves.

Covering her forehead, between pink hair and green eyes, was a Konoha forehead protector with red fabric.

'Oh, this will be fun.'

* * *

Take a red coat with no lapels, buttons, or anything. Just a plain, almost dress-like coat. Have the coat back go down to the ankles, but just to coat tails. Her legs are exposed, with black hotpants on and part II boots/gloves. The coat is also relatively light. Now that's what Sakura looks like. 

You can also google Rinoa from FFVII. Her coat is like that exactly, but red, and it covers her torso before tapering off. I hope I explained it ok.


	10. Non Compos: Haruno Sakura

**A/N: **I never said Sakura had been punished. I let it just hang up in the air. Now you'll get to know what happened. Course, here's how I see my version of Sakura.

She believes that the villagers are right about Naruto being a demon. She refuses to believe that they could possibly be wrong. She believes the villagers' hate so much that she sees anyone who doesn't treat Naruto with hostility as a threat. Her lunacy is growing greatly after Ino's death. She now feels like she is owed Sasuke and that she is allowed her right to anyone/anything. She shows no respect or loyalty towards anyone. Her purposes in life are to have Sasuke's children and kill Naruto.

If you remember from the first chapter, the Haruno want to be loved. They have always been kinda fragile, but after Kyubi killed the patriarch and Sakura's brother, their insanity grew. Sakura wants to have Sharingan bearing children and kill Naruto so people will 'love' her. Being constantly rejected by her own 'true love' has made her desperate for it.

Oh, and yea, Konoha is going to be invaded just like in the manga. Orochimaru and Oto will get their attack on with Suna, just so you guys have that to wonder about.

* * *

Sakura: **Ninjutsu:** nonexistant **Taijutsu:** high genin **Genjutsu:** mid chunin **Overall:** Low chunin 

She's strong in genjutsu, and more or less has to use it in combination with her taijutsu if she wants to beat most of the Rookie 7. She's going to get a lot stronger faster, however.

**Several Weeks Prior **

"_Haruno Sakura,"_ _an elderly male voice said, "do you understand the nature upon which you are brought to this council?" The man could be identified as Mitokado Homura, the head of the council. To his right was his former cell member, Utatane Koharu. Lining the long table were three others, Akimichi Chouza, Nara Shikaku, and Hyuga Hiashi._

"_I am here because I witnessed a demon murder my friend and no one will do a thing about it," she yelled._

"_Insolent girl," Hiashi roared, "show the council your respect, as we command it. Or have you forgotten we hold not just your ninja life, but your entire life, in our hands."_

_The pink-haired girl bowed, "Gomen, I forgot my place. Yesterday's incident has me not myself." On the inside, the girl smiled wickedly._

"_It will be overlooked," Utatane Koharu said, "but we have testimony from various participants. Those on the dem- I mean the Uzumaki's side claim that you attacked the Hyuga heiress without adequate provocation."_

"_Can you give me," Hiashi said in a deadly voice, "any reason as to why you would attack my daughter with the intent to kill or to abuse an otherwise rudimentary genjutsu to cause what could have been permanent damage?"_

"_I thought the demon.." Hiashi gave a hard cough, "…I mean Uzumaki Naruto was tainting her mind." A few smiled seeing that she spat the boy's name out with disgust._

"_And why did you feel her mind was tainted," Hiashi asked, barely keeping control of his killing intent._

"_She has been spending time with the demon and even defended him," she said simply. "It should be obvious that her mind is diseased."_

"_Haruno," Homura barked, "as long as I head this council, you will refer to the Yondaime's legacy as such, or by his name at minimum."_

"_Shut up old man," the Haruno snapped, causing Hiashi and Homura to stand up, even Koharu looked affronted._

"_Haruno Sakura," Koharu said seriously, "one more outburst and this council will have no choice but to deem you incompetent to stand trail. In such case, you will be a ward of the mental ward of the hospital until we deem you fit. Are we clear?"_

'_Why do they protect him? Don't they hear what everyone is saying? Everyone in Konoha says it, and so many people can't be wrong. No, you're the exception to the rule you old bat.'_

"_Yes ma'am," Sakura said with a bow. _

"_It seems to me," Shikaku said, "that Sakura and the others simply overreacted. They've heard some of the things people have said about the boy. It's an understandable, although unfortunate, situation." 'Unfortunate that he's alive.'_

"_I agree," the fat man next to him said, "I believe we cannot place blame on the girl, but on ourselves for not embracing Uzumaki Naruto." 'Akimichi clan, forgive me but the Haruno is of use to avenge our fallen memebers,' he thought._

"_She attacked half the class, causing one of her friends to get killed through enexperience," Hiashi snarled. "You cannot possibly consider anything more than allowing her to live."_

"_Hiashi," Shikaku asked, "do you for a minute believe that Inoichi's daughter was killed through inexperience?" His voice dropped to a whisper that Sakura could not hear. "Her jutsu cause her to enter the boy's mind, and we all are aware of what resides in there."_

"_There is no proof of any such thing that would arouse suspicion like that," Homura said. "Haruno, is there anything you'd like to say before we sentence you?"_

'_Rot in hell you demon lovers.' "Not a thing, sir," she smiled sweetly._

"_Very well," Koharu said, "we will take a vote of your fate and reason why. If the council finds an answer without proper reasoning, it shall be dispelled from the group. Do you accept these terms?"_

"_Yes ma'am, I do. I wish for nothing more than your mercy to help me in the mourning on Yamanaka Ino." _

_The council began writing out their responses, which were then handed to Homura._

_"There have been three sentences allowed. You may be pardoned, imprisoned, or executed. In the case of either of the first two, the council will decide further details," the elderly woman stated. "Homura, please read the votes."_

_"The recommendation of one, Nara Shikaku, is for full pardon without reprimand," the old man stated with notable shock. "Haruno Sakura acted in benefit of her classmates, deeming the monster to be a threat."_

_"Shikaku," Hiashi spat, "you cannot be so blind as to believe that!" Shikaku just gave a content smile._

_"Of course I am. I am much more pleased to see the mighty Hyuga clan's heiress become a demon lover, but this will do. Haruno Sakura is a hero, trying to kill the demon and its followers. Even if one of the dead would have been my son, he would be a sacrifice to rid the world of evil."_

_"You are a lunatic," Koharu shrieked, "You are saying you'd kill anyone in order to murder Uzumaki Naruto?"_

_"Absolutely," he said with a sadistic grin instead of a lazy frown like normal._

_The council head cleared his throat. "The recommendation of myself, Mitokado Homura, is for Haruno Sakura to be imprisoned for multiple accounts of attempted murder. She attacked students who had done nothing wrong."_

_Shikaku gave a groan. "That's right, protect the demon whore you call a daughter."_

_The Hyuga's patience had been tested enough. He stood up and thrust two fingers into the Nara's back, causing no damage but extreme pain. The Byakugan user left the room before looking at the girl._

_"If I see you near the Hyuga compound, I will not hesitate to kill you myself," he gritted his teeth._

_"And then you'd be right where I am, demon lover," she said with an innocent smile. The man just walked out, slamming the door._

_Members of the medical unit took the Nara away for treatment. Once the commotion died down, Homura continued._

_"The recommendation from Hyuga Hiashi is execution due to unstable mindset, attempted murder, and borderline sociopath tendencies."_

_"I suppose that is the thanks I get for trying to spare the most prestigious clan the ultimate shame. Can we get on with this," the Haruno asked rudely, knowing that the chances of her being executed were now slim._

_"The recommendation of Utatane Koharu is…pardon?" He turned to the old woman who was shaking her head in grief. "What do you mean by this?"_

_"I thought she looked like she just made a mistake," the woman sobbed. "But I was wrong, she's a monster."_

_The girl just grinned in triump, a maniac glint in her eyes. She didn't even need to hear the Akimichi's suggestion. "Too bad, you old bitch, but you see," Sakura gave an extremely convincing pout, "I'm the saddest little girl in the world. No one would send me to prison."_

_She just laughed as she walked out of the room. 'It's not like they can do anything. Those fuckers control the civilians, and the Hokage controls the normal ninja. But where I'm going, I'll be just fine.'_

_Haruno Sakura now sat in a simple office, looking across to a scarred man with bandages over one eye. He was Danzou, head of Root, a division of ANBU._

_He reached across the desk and gave her a red headband. "You are now an official member of the ninja community. You are a genin and apprentice ANBU under the control of Root. You have one mission and one mission only."_

_Sakura smiled, a dangerous look to her face._

_"Your mission is to assassinate Uzumaki Naruto by any and all means necessary."_

_"Understood," she said. "Now when can I start training?"_

_"You begin the minute you walk out my door. You will get an ANBU tattoo and be trained by the best available teachers I have in genjutsu and chakra control. You will also get taijutsu lessons."_

_"Thank you," Sakura said in a falsely pleasant voice._

_"I had better hear you are working hard. You are below genin level in all aspects of the shinobi arts, despite your clan's natural talent for genjutsu. Normal ninja life is not what is right for you, what is right for you…is Root."_

_Sakura put on her headband, then looked at her girly state of dress. She'd need something a little more…her._

Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke walked through the doors of the academy building and past a group of ninja who seemed to be distracted by a genjutsu of the door numbering.

Sasuke nudged a female genin in the back. The girl with two buns for hair wheeled around and glared at him. "What's the deal, Uchiha?"

"It's a genjutsu," he muttered, "I thought your team, being a year older, would know that."

"We know that, Uchiha, we're just gauging our competition. But then again, I wouldn't expect you kids to know that," she said, giggling.

Sasuke scowled and kept walking. "Who was that," Naruto asked.

"Only team that passed last year's genin exam. Their sensei is Maito Gai."

Naruto looked at him. "Ah, you mean Lee's here, awesome!'

The pair got to the top floor, room 301 as per the instructions. Outside of the door stood their sensei, Hatake Kakashi, reading his book. "Yo," he said, waving and not looking at them. "I'm supposed to be here in case both of you didn't show, but I knew you would. I just wanted to tell you good luck."

"We don't need luck," Sasuke said, "with our teamwork; we can defeat any team, even a man down."

"Next time you see us will be after we've passed this stupid test." Naruto opened the door widely.

There were dozens upon dozens of ninja from every country imaginable. The five nations had representatives, along with the smaller nations. Team 7 saw 5 ninja walk over to them.

Shikamaru was looking just as tired as always, along with Chouji, who was eating. The pair that was Team 10 looked nothing like what shinobi should, but somehow their sensei had recommended them.

"Hey, I see you guys are in this troublesome situation too," the pineapple-haired boy yawned with a stretch.

Team 8, comprised of Hinata, Shino, and Kiba, also walked over. "Looks like the party's just getting started," grinned Kiba. "Yo, Naruto," Kiba said, pulling him over to the side. "I heard that you kicked some ass on that mission. Man, Hinata's been talking about it nonstop. And she got a lot stronger!"

"It was a hard mission, if we didn't get better, we'd be dead," Naruto said. "Hey Shino, good to see you, oh and before I forget, I saw that pure white butterfly you had mentioned wanting. They're over by training ground 11."

The stoic boy just nodded. Just then, a grey-haired boy with glasses walked over. 'Snakes,' thought Naruto. 'I hate that smell.'

"Hey kids," the boy said, "you think this is some field trip? Talking loud and acting like this is a game, it's what I expect from you brats."

"What is this," Kiba growled, "your second time?"

"Try seventh, that's how hard this exam is." The genin looked unsettled. "Gonna wet yourselves now?"

"You want me to shut your mouth for you," Naruto asked. "I'm…"

The boy whipped out a card. "Uzumaki Naruto, born October 10th. You specialize in ninjutsu, futon, to be exact. You also know decent taijutsu."

"How the fuck did you know all that," Kiba yelled, catching the attention of everyone in the room. Nobody looked happy.

Naruto just glared. "Turn back around, assholes, unless you want to mess with Team 7 of Konoha." The group of genin looked unimpressed.

"You might have heard of us," Sasuke said, "we're the reason Momochi Zabuza is off the bingo book."

If there was anyway to silence a crowd, that was it.

Gaara just looked at the boys from in the back. 'You will truly be interesting, Uzumaki Naruto.'

"So," Kiba asked, "what are those cards?"

"These," the boy said, "are cards that detail every genin in this exam by strength. They are organized from strongest to weakest."

"May we," Sasuke asked," um…we didn't get your name."

"Yakushi Kabuto, at your service, and please go ahead and look," he said politely. Naruto and Sasuke looked at the cards, with the others taking them after they had finished.

"Us, Gaara, Hina, that cat-suit guy, Gaara's sister, Neji, Shino, some rain nin…." Naruto fanned down the cards, but stopped when he saw one face staring up at him.

"No fucking way," he said in disbelief, handing the card to Sasuke. "Kabuto, are you sure these are right?"

"Positive, why?" Sasuke had taken a look at the card. Under stats, it had nothing but question marks.

"Cause this girl," the Uchiha said, "is absolutely insane. She almost caused all of us to have mental breakdowns with a genjutsu."

Just then, Kakashi arrived in a small poof, looking serious. He saw the card in his student's hand. "Ah, so you know. I'm here to make sure you don't kill her until you're allowed to."

The genin looked to the door, where a pink-haired girl in a red coat walked in. To Naruto's disgust, he saw her outfit actually exposed a little skin. Kakashi kept a hand on both of his students, signaling for them not to move.

But that didn't stop the pair from making enough killing intent that even their friends were nervous. The rest of the genin were scared stupid, aside from Gaara, who licked her lips.

Sakura, however, just felt the killing intent and smiled like nothing was wrong. She had been trained to not lash out, something she had ingrained into her very personality.

She may have been a loud fangirl, but now she was an enigma. She locked eyes with the boy. 'I can't wait to break you and your friends. I'll kill anyone who loves a demon!'

"How the hell did someone like you become a ninja," Kiba roared. Akamaru barked along side with him.

"Funny," the girl said, "you should roll over and play dead. You seemed to do it so well with my little genjutsu on your mind."

Shino's bugs began growling angrily. Team 10 just stayed out of it, preferring not to be in direct combat. It was not their skill.

Hinata activated her Byakugan. "Those eyes are so ugly," she laughed. "Just like the girl who owns them. I pity you; you'll never know love for anything other than that body you're growing."

Kiba took a swipe at the girl, only to see her evaporate. "Genjutsu," Shino muttered.

Sasuke pushed chakra into his eyes, calling on his own doujutsu. He wheeled around and thrust his hand out, catching something invisible by the neck. "Show yourself you bitch," he growled, his Sharingan spinning, copying the technique.

The form of Sakura appeared. She stared into his red eyes with lust. "Choke me harder Sasuke, I love it," she moaned. Sasuke dropped the insane girl, whose hands were slowly drawn towards the Sharingan.

"Those eyes…such power. They should be with the Haruno clan…" She said in a wispy voice.

Naruto, sickened by the faint smell of the girls arousal, ended the girl's daydreaming with one move. He punched the girl as hard as he could in the forehead, causing her to fly backwards.

Sakura landed in a heap. "Don't even touch my teammate," he growled. "You stay the hell away from us or I will show you why even a jounin can fall by my hand."

The girl walked away, saying nothing. 'I'll get you back when we fight,' she cursed him mentally.

"No fighting, you pieces of garbage," a harsh voice came from the door. A tall man in a black trench coat walked in, surrounded by men in grey uniforms. "There will be absolutely no fighting unless I allow it. Now sit in your assigned seats, the test will begin immediately." He pointed to a chart.

There was a tumult of shuffling feet and people finding their seats. Naruto noticed that Sasuke was several rows behind him, but he was next to Hinata.

'Woo, I'm next to someone I know!' Naruto gave the girl next to him a smile, which she returned.

"Listen up," the man barked, "my name is Morino Ibiki, and I'll be the proctor for this exam! There are the rules, and if you ever want to see daylight again, you better fucking obey them."

The majority of the crowd flinched.

"There are 10 questions, for a total of 10 points. If you miss a question, you lose a point. Now, to pass, all you need is one point! Think you maggots can manage that?"

The sadist gave a barking laugh. "But if some of you are too damn retarded to get one question correct, your entire team of losers fails with you."

He began pacing around the chalkboard. "For any of you weaklings who think of cheating, if you get caught cheating, you lose 2 points off your total score. That means that if we catch you cheating 5 times, you're fucked! And as a bonus, you don't get the 10th question til after the hour is done! Now get to work, you have one hour!"

Naruto began reading over his paper. He scanned the paper grimly. 'I can only answer one of these. So long as I get one, we're good.'

Sasuke looked at his paper. 'I might get two, but it is possible we will need these points, which means cheating. But if I get caught….nothing happens! That's it! We get 5 chances to cheat because they want us to cheat.' The young Uchiha's mind was buzzing. 'But if they want us to cheat, then the points really have nothing to do with it aside from weeding the useless out, like the genin exam.'

The Uchiha copied his partner, who had turned his paper over and leaned back to rest. Hinata used her Byakugan to copy. Shikamaru just slept, and Chouji just ate.

Meanwhile, Kiba and Shino used their living partners to get answers.

The hour passed quickly, with dozens of teams being expelled.

"Now here's the fun part! The tenth question," Ibiki yelled. "You get to choose if you want to take the 10th question or not. You can try to answer it, or you can choose not to."

"Why would anyone not take it," the sand girl known as Temari asked.

"Because of a little rule I made up to make our little game more fun," he grinned sadistically. "If you decide not to take the question, I expel you right now, along with the rest of your team. I don't give a shit how many points you have!"

"Then why would anyone choose not to," she yelled back at him.

"Because of the fun part! If you decide to take the question, and get it wrong….you are going to be banned from taking a chunin exam for the rest of your lives," he yelled, slamming his fist on the desk.

"That's ridiculous," the weapons girl, Tenten, said in outrage. The company of ninja buzzed in talk.

"SILENCE!" The room became deathly silent. "The question is do you think you ingrates have the balls to trust in your pathetic skills and stare danger in the eye? If you want to give up, raise your hand and you and your team can go home with your tails between your legs, instead of the failures you'll end up as if you stay!"

Naruto watched as arms slowly went up. One by one, teams were eliminated. From the corner of his eye, he saw Hinata's hand start to rise slowly from her desk. She was shaking.

He reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it. "Hey," Naruto whispered, "don't even think about it. Remember, we don't give up and don't go back!"

Hinata nodded, "You're right Naruto." She gave Naruto's hand a little squeeze, to which he squeezed back.

"No one else," Ibiki yelled, "you all think you're good enough to risk your lives on one roll of the die? You think you got what it takes?"

Nobody in the room moved.

"Well," he growled, "for those of you still here….you pass!" He finished the sentence off with a genuine smile.

Naruto almost blew a gasket. "We went through all that crap for nothing," he yelled. "That's bullshit." 'It's smart, but god does it suck.'

"No, it makes perfect sense," said the man in the trench coat. "This test was here to gauge your information-gathering skills and how you work under pressure. As chunin, you'll deal with missions like this all the time. But since you managed it alright, I have faith in you guys."

The remaining genin felt their moods crushed as a large black bundle burst through the window. Four kunai went to the ceiling and floor, exposing a large banner displaying the name Mitarashi Anko, their next proctor.

A woman in a tan trench coat and mesh bodysuit, with purple hair put up in a spiky ponytail, appeared before them.

'She's just like Naruto," Sasuke thought. 'That is something he'd do.'

'Damn, that was pretty cool,' the whiskered boy thought with a chuckle.

"My name's Mitarashi Anko, your next examiner. Meet me in one hour at training ground 44."

Sasuke and Naruto shuffled out, followed by the rest of the other 5 in their class. Sakura just glared at them from the back.

'A stroll in the woods, how romantic, it's a shame that by the end of this exam, I'll have to take something from you. I think I'll start with Hinata.'

* * *

I can feel a small catfight that's going to go down soon, most likely the prelims or the finals. Then again, I am writing this. Anyway, here you guys go, two chapters in a day. Hit me up if something doesnt look right...I'm a little tired. 


	11. Entrance of the Madman

**A/N: **To everyone, I'm extremely sorry for not updating in a while. I've been extremely busy working, so I haven't been able to update. My job requires a lot of running, so when I come home, I really have no energy to write. I am very sorry.

Anyway, this chapter is short...painfully so by my standards. I just wanted to get something out there. I'm hoping that my routine can be updating 3-4 times a week now that I'm not so busy.

But now to address concerns.

1. This lil guy is always very very important. Sakura isnt as strong as Hinata. I mean, she's been training with ANBU and whatnot, but her raw potential isn't as high as others. This means she's gotta work a lot harder to get stronger.

2. The Byakugan can NOT see through genjutsu. It can see near 360 degrees, see for 50 meters in any direction, see through objects, and it can see the chakra circulatory system. But just remember, Hinata still kicks ass. She's not gonna die anytime soon.

Anyway, thank you all for reading.

* * *

**The Second Test**

"I'm only going to say this once, so listen up," the trench-coat wearing kunoichi knows as Mitarashi Anko said to the crowd of exam takers, "you will have 5 days inside this training ground in order to complete the second part of the test."

A few of the genin looked apprehensive about entering the dark, fenced in forest. "Each team will receive one scroll, marked either Heaven or Earth. Your objective is to retrieve the opposite scroll to make a set. Once you have both scrolls, make your way to the tower in the middle of the training ground."

"What are we supposed to do for food," Chouji hollered, hugging a bag of chips.

Anko gave an evil grin. "The forest is full of nature's bounty. There are also man-eating animals and poisonous plants too. That's why," she paused dramatically, "this is called the Forest of Death!"

From the middle of the crowd, Anko heard a genin laughing. She looked in annoyance at a blonde boy who was doubled over with laughter.

"Are you telling me," Naruto said, still laughing, "That was supposed to scare us? The Forest of Death? Big fucking deal."

The proctor threw a kunai straight at the loud boy's face. Naruto simply caught it. He looked to toss the weapon back to the woman, but she had disappeared.

He felt the cold steel of a blade against his neck. "The loud one's are always the first to die. Learn to shut up." The blonde smirked before exploding in a puff of smoke. 'A clone?'

Anko felt a finger tap her shoulder. "I am seriously not dumb enough to anger a jounin and let myself be wide open like that, it's just stupid."

The woman nodded. 'He's not half bad, maybe he won't die in there.' "Everyone get in your teams and line up, we will give each team a scroll!"

There was a flurry of movement in which everyone split into their teams. Sasuke noticed that aside from Team 7 and Team 10, the only team without three memebers was the Haruno, who appeared to be working alone.

'She may know a few more genjutsu, but from that punch she took, she hasn't gotten any stronger. She's useless against the Sharigan. Even Hinata shouldn't have much trouble.'

Sasuke grabbed their scroll, Heaven, and moved to their instructed gate. "Naruto," Sasuke muttered.

"Yea," he said seriously. This was no time to be joking. While he loved being loud, now was the time to focus.

"Remember, we need an Earth scroll. We should stick to the canopy and ambush when we find a suitable target."

"Right. **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.**" Two clones appeared, one who used a henge to turn into the Uchiha. "There, now we'll catch someone off guard."

A small gunshot went off and the metal gate in front of them opened. Team 7 immediately ran up the nearest tall tree and began moving silently towards the tower, which looked to be a distance away.

Five hours later several of the jounin who were awaiting their students were startled by a chunin running into the room with a videotape.

"You've got to see this," he said in awe, "it's incredible." He went to the television set and put the tape in the VCR. On the screen, the three Suna nin appeared, walking in the doorway to the tower.

"That's not possible," a genjutsu user known as Kurenai yelled, "it's only been five hours! It would take a jounin 2 hours to get here if he knew the way!"

The man next to her took a drag on his cigarette and nodded. "Those Suna nin must be powerful. I did hear that they are the children of the Kazekage." The group of jounin nodded at Sarutobi Asuma and his words.

Hatake Kakashi just gave a small groan. "Did any of you bother to examine the tape at all," he asked. The jounin sighed when all of his comrades gave him a look of confusion.

"Look at the time on the upper right corner. The time says 4:03." The multiple ninja there still looked on in confusion. 'Oh dear Lord,' he cursed in his mind. "It's 5:10 right now, meaning this tape is an hour old, which means the team from Suna finished in slightly over 4 hours."

As the group of jounin marveled at the team from Suna, the second test continued.

"Hold here," Shino said. Lines of bugs trailed out of his sleeves. "There is someone near."

Kiba nodded, "I smell them, and so does Akamaru." The dog in his coat barked. "They don't smell strong at all."

"An ambush tactic would be best, since we know nothing of them. Leave no one conscious."

"Let's do this Akamaru!" Before Kiba could leap into action, a girl behind them coughed.

"I don't think we should attack them," Hinata said in her soft voice. Her team turned around to face her.

"Why the hell not?" As Kiba rounded on her, Hinata held up one Heaven and one Earth scroll. She was smiling.

"I took their scroll already, Kiba, while you two were talking," Hinata said brightly.

"How," Shino asked with a notable trace of surprise to his voice.

"It was a group of older boys, so I acted like the typical lost little girl. I was originally going to knock them out quickly, but I didn't like the look in their eyes, so I went a little overboard."

"Come again," Kiba asked. He had trained with Hinata for months now and knew she was a gentle girl. But God help whoever made her mad.

"Oh nothing," she smiled widely, "I'll just need to ask father was effects the gentle fist have on the groin."

Kiba and Shino both gave a noticeable wince and covered themselves. Hinata motioned for them to keep moving towards the tower. If they kept this pace, they'd be there by morning after resting for the night.

Meanwhile a group of mist nin were stalking a black-haired boy and his blonde partner. As the only pair in the exam, they'd be easier. The trio unsheathed their weapons and charged the pair.

Up in the canopy, the real Uchiha and Uzumaki were watching. The blonde made a seal right as the enemy ninja got close.

"**Bunshin Daibakuha," ****Naruto muttered. They watched as the clones exploded, knocking the three mist nins back. As with the others, they were out cold.**

**"You think that hurts a bit," Naruto asked, turning to Sasuke.**

**The boy rolled his eyes. "Not at all," he muttered sarcastically. He leapt down and began rummaging through the boys' to take any items of use they carried on them. He also grabbed an Earth scroll, which would make it four pairs of scrolls they had.**

**Sasuke joined his partner in the canopy and began looking for a strategic point to rest for the night. They found it in a secluded patch of trees. After destroying the pairs of scrolls they didn't need and finding some food, the pair fell asleep with their senses heightened.**

**Naruto awoke early in the morning, having to answer his body's call. Naruto nudged Sasuke awake, and then went off to relieve himself.**

**The blonde stood, finishing his business, when he heard several loud crashes of trees being broken. Whatever cause it was coming towards him. He sniffed the air. 'Ugh, I hate the smell of snakes.'**

**Sasuke had just finished packing when his instincts told him to dodge. Several shuriken hit the space where his head had been.**

**On the branch he was standing on was a man with extremely pale skin, long black hair, and eyes that were yellow and slit like a snake's. He wore a white robe with black underneath, and a purple rope around his waist.**

**"Good morning, Sasuke-kun," the man said in a high voice. "Let's have some fun." The man looked Sasuke in the eyes.**

**Sasuke felt a kunai imbed itself in his forehead. The feeling of death, the fear of it all ending, swarmed around him. His body began to shake. This was the absolute worst feeling. It was worse than Sakura's genjutsu in the academy. It was like the man was Death. Just when he felt as if the icy hand of Death would grasp him, it vanished.**

**'A genjutsu! This man…he's far stronger than I am.' Sasuke's revelation did nothing to deter him from attacking this man. He charged, but felt his body move sluggishly. The pale man sent him away with a swipe of his hand.**

**"Your body knows it is my pray, Sasuke-kun. Your mind should accept it." Sasuke's Sharingan eyes stared into the snake-like eyes of his opponent. The man was right. If he wanted it, Sasuke would be dead. He should simply accept defeat.**

**The man's silky voice carried into the woods. "Those eyes, that beautiful body, yes, you are exquisite, Sasuke-kun. Come with me quietly, you can't hope to ever win."**

**The Uchiha felt his mind giving in. 'He's right. I'm nothing compared to this amount of power. I've trained so much, but in the end, I'm still just a genin.' Sasuke felt his feet moving towards the enemy, his body and mind hanging in defeat.**

**'Come to me, my boy. Your eyes will never see through this shroud. Not yet.'**

**Naruto saw the trees in front of him splinter as a giant brown snake barreled towards his position. Before he could move, the snake bit at him, swallowing the blonde and a large chunk of a tree with him.**

**'He just swallowed me? Fucking snake…' Naruto drew his swords from inside the snake and began hacking and slashing at the serpent's stomach. Despite his flurry of swipes, he was not making much progress.**

**'I could just use the ****Renkudan**** to blow myself out of here, but that would leave me too weak.' Naruto pondered his options. He needed to get out of a stomach. A flash went off in his head and he performed his favorite technique.**

**A horde of Naruto clones spewed out of the snake, the serpent unable to keep the volume of clones inside him. Hundreds of clones had hacked and slashed the snake, doing the damage that one of them could not. **

**The snake disappeared in smoke. 'A clone of that size? There shouldn't be any genin able to do that!' That only meant that someone very dangerous was near. The boy sprinted off towards Sasuke's scent. Naruto felt his anger growing, much like the time on the bridge.**

**"You will enjoy your life in Oto. You will gain power like you could only imagine. Be by my side, always, and you shall be favored most of all," the snake said. Sasuke's mind was putting up a protest, but the part that had conceded was too strong.**

**'****_He's too strong. _**But I have to fight. _You'll die. _I don't care. _If you die, you can't avenge your clan._'

"Stop trying to fight the truth. No one can help you." The man's eyes looked at the boy with an evil craving. It was as if the Uchiha was a piece of meat. "You are weak. Your friends are weak. Your village….is weak."

Suddenly, a black blur came out of nowhere and punched Sasuke. The Uchiha, not expecting any attack, was knocked out of his stupor. Sasuke hit the ground hard and rolled on the ground. The snake man looked at the newcomer with a small bit of interest.

"And who might you be boy," the man asked, looking at the back of the boy's head. Naruto's gaze had not moved from off his teammate.

"What are you doing Sasuke," the blonde asked solemnly, his bangs covering his eyes.

Sasuke coughed, his mind spinning as his world righted itself. "Get away from him Naruto! He's way stronger than us! We're going to die if we stay here." Naruto responded by punching the boy again.

"Get the fuck up Uchiha. We're shinobi of Konoha, we don't run away. And as Team 7, we don't fear anyone."

"We have to run you goddamn idiot! I don't know who this guy is, but he's not a genin!" Sasuke stared at the man in fear. Naruto merely looked at him.

'He's right. We might actually die here. But I refuse to die like a coward. I vowed to be strong for everyone.' "You," he said, glaring at the pale man, "I know you look like a pedophile that hasn't seen the light of day for years, but who the fuck are you."

The man chuckled and bowed. "I'm Orochimaru, the exiled Sannin of Konoha." Sasuke only looked at Orochimaru in utter fear, but Naruto seemed unafraid.

'Ok, so yeah, we're going to die here. But we aren't going to die like this.' "Sasuke," he said, "this guy is going to kill us probably. But we have to fight."

"I-I can't," the boy yelled. "My body isn't moving like it should!"

Orochimaru laughed. "That's because you're weak. You can't even realize you're in a genjutsu, let alone break it. You are pathetic."

Naruto's temper flared. "Don't talk about him like that," he snarled. "This village and its ninja are the best in the world."

"I suppose that's why I left this place, boy? Because it had too much potential? No, the Leaf is weak, its people and shinobi are weak. Even your Hokage is weak. I shall destroy this place by tearing apart its foundation."

"Meaning what, you boy-loving faggot," Naruto yelled.

The snake laughed madly. "I'm going to kill your Hokage. Just watch." The man seemed to dissolve into mud. He was gone without a trace.

Naruto yelled in frustration. "Sasuke, move. We have to tell the people at the tower what is happening."

Sasuke only sat, shaking. His partner sat down in front of him. "Sasuke…"

The black-haired boy only looked at his friend, slightly rocking back and forth. His Sharingan had deactivated, and his body looked paler than usual.

"SASUKE!" The boy yelled loudly, causing the Uchiha to flinch. 'Fuck, he's so afraid. It must be that damn genjutsu.'

"You'll forgive me for this, you pain in the ass." Naruto took his hand and knocked the Uchiha out. Naruto made a clone to carry the boy.

'Right, let's get to the tower.'

**Three Days Later**

A well-rested Team 7 was notified by a jounin that the second test had finished, and that due to the large number of people who passed, there would be a preliminary fighting round.

"The Haruno made it," Sasuke muttered as they walked down the stairs. Sasuke had been broken of the difficult genjutsu almost immediately after they had entered the tower. Naruto had thanked Hinata's sensei. Unfortunately, Sasuke hadn't heard the end of it.

"Better hope you don't face her since you apparently suck with genjutsu," the blonde grinned.

"It was done by Orochimaru! You can't blame me for that at all," Sasuke yelled back. "You would have done the same."

"Oh, so I would have turned into a comatose baby?"

"I'll kill you."

Naruto just laughed. "But you are right. The Haruno has improved immensely. I mean, her genjutsu is good, and from what I could tell from it, she has good control."

"But she can't take a punch, if you remember." Naruto grinned at looked up in bliss.

"Ah, punching her felt so good. She should be happy I'm not going to kill her. Then again, she wasn't expecting the hit."

"True," Sasuke said. He looked at a list in his hand. It was the names of those genin who passed the second test. "We have us, Team 8 and 10. That makes 7 already. Then we also have Team Gai, the Suna team, and a team from Oto. But one of their memebers died." They both gritted their teeth at the sound of Oto.

"That's 15. But then there is the Haruno. That makes 16. So it looks like 8 matches, one on one."

Sasuke opened the door they were walking to. They walked through it and onto a balcony that wrapped around the entire room. Below them was a training area. They saw that there was a large statue of the Nindaime making a seal to the left of them.

They walked over to their fellow Konoha genin. Naruto looked over, where Sakura stood against the opposite wall. She was staring at them.

"If any of you get the Haruno," Sasuke said, "she'll be using genjutsu. She doesn't have much physical stamina, it looks like. So just hit her lots and she'll go down." The group nodded.

"She is unstable," Hinata said. "I can see it in her eyes. That makes her dangerous."

"I believe she will kill us if she is given the opportunity," Shino mumbled. "If we treat a fight with her as if it was anything but a life or death situation, we are underestimating her."

"It's starting," Kiba muttered. The board had begun flipping through names at random. Finally, it settled on a pairing.

Hyuga Hinata vs Zaku Abumi.


	12. Divide and Conquer: Preliminaries

**A/N: **I've noticed that I havent been getting much love recently. Fewer reviews, fewer hits, it's very disheartening. It's been days since I put up a chapter and usually I'm up to a large number of hits, but it seems like either my writing has gone downhill and interest has faded, or I'm not updating enough. I'm really sorry, you guys. I'm honestly doing my best to try and get as many quality chapters done as possible. I really enjoy writing, and I hope this doesn't mean that I'm messing up. If this chapter doesn't do well, I'll try to update a lot more. I wanna make you guys happy.

Anyway, here's my position on ninja fighting. It's all about surprise and attacking the blind spots. Any ninja can lose to any other ninja at any time. Yes, a higher ranked ninja will more than likely always be stronger, but it's still possible to lose. It's all about surprise. More experienced ninja have faster reflexes and better instinct to go with their power.

I can't think of any more issues. I really hope to get a lot of hits and reviews. I hope you all are having a good halloween.

* * *

**Hyuga Hinata vs. Zaku Abumi**

The young heiress felt everyone's eyes on her. All of her friends, her crush, all her possible opponents; they all looked at her with curiosity. Only Team 7 looked at her with confidence.

If anyone had bothered to gaze at the pink-haired sociopath, they would have seen green eyes that looked hungry. Sakura planned to study her target and dissect her. After all, she may have grown in leaps and bounds with her natural genjutsu ability, but her taijutsu would crumble instantly against the jyuken.

"You got this, Hina," Naruto said, giving the girl a one-armed squeeze. Hinata felt a warm tingle of safety flow through here.

Hinata nodded and gave a small smile. Her thoughts about how comforting the blonde could be were disturbed by her opponent, who stood below her on the training ground.

"Hurry up dammit! I don't have all day to play will little girls," the boy yelled. The Konoha genin looked down at the boy. He was tall, with spiky black hair. A grey and white camouflage cowl covered his neck, and he was dressed in a tan outfit with kanji for "death" on it. His purple Oto headband had attachments that looked like large sideburns, no doubt to protect the sides of his head.

But the Hyuga didn't see this; instead, Hinata only saw the chakra in his system, which seemed to spiral unusually in his arms. Honing in with her Byakugan, she could see a small hole in each of his palms.

'Those holes must be used somehow in his fighting, I'll have to be wary,' she thought. Hinata leapt up onto the ledge and jumped down, flipping and spinning with grace, and landing with grace in front of the boy.

The proctor, Gekko Hayate, stood to the side of the genin. He coughed a few times. Hinata was worried, the man looked quite sickly.

"The rules are simple. The entire room is at your disposal except for the balconies. You fight until one is knocked out or surrenders. Killing is allowed, but only if absolutely necessary." Hinata saw her opponent's face grin ferally. "You may begin," Hayate said, leaping backwards.

The spectating ninja watched as the Oto nin moved quickly and knocked the girl back with a palm thrust to the stomach. The girl soared backwards.

Zaku wasted no time and kicked the flying girl into the wall. Hinata flew into the hard wall, causing a large crash and a lot of dust. The shinobi then exposed his palms to the area.

**"Zankuuha,**" he yelled. Two gusts of pressurized air exploded from his hands with a boom, and connected with where Hinata had landed. The area around the kicked kunoichi exploded in rubble.

Naruto bit his lip in worry, and turned towards Hinata's team. 'There is a reason the Oto team was considered the third strongest,' Kurenai thought. 'Hinata, I don't know if you stand a chance. Kakashi seemed to have a lot of faith in you though.'

When the dust cleared, instead of a bloody girl, Zaku found a much obliterated log. From behind him, a voice spoke to the shocked boy.

"Never underestimate simple moves, they work." Zaku didn't know what happened next, but the next thing he knew, his shoulders were screaming in pain.

To those familiar with the jyuken, which meant most of the Konoha residents in attendance, they knew that both his shoulder joints had been damaged severely.

"That can't possibly feel good," Sasuke muttered, causing Naruto to laugh hysterically. A few of their fellows chuckled as well.

"It would appear as if our young lady has this in hand," said Kakashi, who had just appeared next to the group. The other two teams wondered where their respective jounin were. The two were spotted very close to one another. Kakashi noticed the priceless look on the face of Kurenai. 'Obviously her team has never been on a mission involving fighting.'

Hinata pivoted on one toe, spinning her other foot into Zaku's spiky head. Naruto noticed how Hinata seemed to almost look like she was dancing. Even in battle, she seemed so full of grace.

The Oto nin was knocked away. He rolled across the floor before catching himself and standing up. He tried to move his arms, only to feel blinding pain in each shoulder.

"What did you do to me you bitch," he screamed, half in anger and half in pain. Hinata appeared right in front of the boy, before kicking him in the chin while doing a flip.

She looked at the boy as he was sprawled out on the floor again. "You can't use your arms anymore. I destroyed them to the point that you cannot be a shinobi any longer, but you should be able to retain normal civilian life."

"WHAT," he yelled. Zaku began sobbing over his arms. "These were a sign of acknowledgement you….you whore!" He ran wildly at the girl, kicking at her in great form, which Hinata did not expect.

She narrowly dodged each kick. The boy seemed to be a taijutsu type, relying on that previous move as his ninjutsu.

'He can't use his arms, but he's still good. I should end this before he can actually hurt me.'

Zaku gave his opponent a roundhouse kick to the head. Hinata's hand however, blocked it and held onto his ankle.

"Gai-sensei, how is it possible for one so frail to block a kick in that manner," Rock Lee asked his sensei. Next to him, the weapons loving kunoichi known as Tenten was smiling. Neji looked positively enraged, however.

"The young woman clearly has trained herself. I believe that her power might equal our Neji," Gai said. Neji began shaking in anger.

Hinata thrust her palm into the boy's leg, still holding onto it. A crack like a gunshot echoed through the hall. She then gave a spinning kick to the screaming nin's head.

She noticed that the boy was grinning as he flew backwards. Her eyes widened when she realized why. Zaku was flying backwards, but his limp arms were facing her.

**"Zankuukyokuha,"** the falling boy yelled. Hinata watched with her Byakugan as two more powerful blasts came towards her.

'I really didn't want to have to use this,' Hinata thought. To the surprise of her team, her sensei, and her cousin Neji, she twirled around rapidly, emanating chakra from her body.

"**Kaiten!"** A large dome of spinning chakra formed around the Hyuga, deflecting the attack away harmlessly. Hinata stopped spinning and looked at Zaku, who was trying in vain to get up. Seeing no point in continuing the match, the proctor called the match.

"Winner, Hyuga Hinata," Hayate yelled. She bowed in respect and leapt back up onto the balcony, where a stunned Team 8 awaited her.

"Hinata," Kurenai asked, walking over, "when did you learn such an advanced technique?"

"Father gave me a scroll during the mission with Naruto-kun and his team. I learned tree-climbing from Kakashi-san, and water-walking and the **Kaiten** from the scroll I was given."

"Why didn't you tell me this Hinata? I'm supposed to be your sensei," the genjutsu mistress asked.

Hinata's face turned to a look of hurt. "Kurenai-sensei, I've seen how you train our team. You are great with teaching us teamwork, but you aren't good at teach us skills. That's why I've been training my techniques only with my family."

Before Kurenai could say more, Shino interrupted.

"The next pairing has been decided," he muttered. All eyes turned to the board, where two new names had appeared.

Kankouro vs. Uchiha Sasuke.

The puppeteer looked at the pairing and then to the stoic boy who would be his opponent. He knew only a little about Konoha, but his meager studies had covered the dangers of the village.

What he remembered was that the Uchiha clan was the holders of a feared doujutsu, the Sharingan. The village elder Chiyo had once told him that if a person faces the Sharingan one-on-one, to flee on sight. But if it was two-on-one, attack from the back.

'Lucky for me, it's two-on-one,' he thought to himself, patting the wrapped mass he carried on his back.

Sasuke leapt onto the floor, followed by his opponent. Not wanting to miss any detail, the Uchiha activated his eyes. He glared into the Suna nin's eyes. Kankouro barely noticed the proctor signaling for the match to begin.

The Uchiha let off his signature technique the moment the proctor began. "**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"** Kankouro's body was barreled into by the gigantic fireball that spewed from the boy's mouth. Upon contact, the explosion caused Sasuke to have to jump backwards.

Sasuke landed, but too late he felt the presence of his opponent behind him. The puppeteer kicked Sasuke in the back. As he flew forward, he had to duck to dodge a blade from some grotesque mannequin.

'What the hell is that and how did he get behind me?' Sasuke rolled away and gathered himself. He saw the boy moving his fingers slightly, causing the doll to turn around.

'A puppet? I'm at a disadvantage then.' He noticed that the puppet had a few scorch marks on it. 'So it took my attack? Well, I might as well test his technique.'

Sasuke put on a burst of speed, charging forward. Kankouro's puppet did the same, unsheathing hidden blades from its elbow joints. He began blocking the puppet with two kunai in his hands.

He looked to his opponent, who was now moving to his blind spot. Sasuke found himself having to quickly block and dodge knives from the puppet, and blows from the puppeteer.

Sasuke formed a jutsu while spinning around. **"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!" **Mutliple fireballs, though slightly smaller than his first, fired off in all directions around Sasuke. Kankouro dodged them barely, while he let his puppet take the hit.

As the puppeteer dodged away, Sasuke sped rapidly towards him. Kankouro was quickly overpowered by multiple punches and kicks.

The Uchiha delivered a vicious uppercut to Kankouro. He grabbed the Suna nin's ankle as he flew upward and swung him hard into the ground. Sasuke couldn't finish the combo, as he had to flee from the puppet.

He swore as he leapt away, although pleased at the noticeable effect it had on the boy. 'I need to immobilize that puppet. It's risky, but this might work.' Sasuke pulled a scroll out that had been hidden in his arm warmer.

"You think you're the only one with something up their sleeve," Kankouro asked. He flicked a few fingers and the chest of the puppet opened wide. From inside the puppet, multiple shuriken flew out.

'Shit,' Sasuke swore as three extremely large shuriken popped out. Sasuke flung two of the mammoth shuriken out in front of him, knocking most of the projectiles out of his path. A few shuriken managed to hit him, however.

The two large shuriken went flying towards Kankouro. He called his puppet, which blocked the deadly weapons, sending them flying high.

While everyone had been paying attention to the shuriken flying, and the one still in Sasuke's left hand, few noticed the wire that was in his other hand that was attached to the two shuriken.

Sasuke pulled hard on the wire and spun himself around. The two shuriken were pulled like a giant hammer, swinging hard into the unprotected side of the puppet. The sharp weapons were forced deep into the puppet, rendering it useless.

"Give up," he told the puppeteer, "I disabled your puppet. You can't win." Seeing as this was true, Kankouro surrendered the match. A smirking Uchiha climbed back up to his teammate.

Naruto looked positively bored. "Come on, we've had two matches and so far both have been pretty lopsided. I mean, you and Hina aren't wounded."

Sasuke grunted. "Accept that we are better than the average genin, Naruto. We are exceptional. Even the Haruno has managed to get her genjutsu to an acceptable level."

Neither of them paid attention to Tenten or Kiba, who had just been called to fight. Both ninja were offensive powerhouses; Tenten with her weapons and Kiba with his animalistic clan fighting style.

Hinata, Shino, and Rock Lee watched the fight with interest, cheering on their companions. The Hyuga branch member couldn't have cared less.

"One of us will be fighting the Haruno eventually. She's obsessed with you, Sasuke. And she hates me. We'll fight her soon enough." Naruto fought back a grin, thinking about beating the pink-haired girl.

Kakashi had been listening in on their conversation. "True, but what worries me is her growth rate," Kakashi said. At one time his genin charges would have flinched in surprise, but they were now accustomed to the man popping in and out.

"Explain," Sasuke asked.

The jounin frowned a little under his mask. He looked uncharacteristically stern. "The girl has always had exceptional chakra control and a natural affinity for genjutsu. But she's gotten a lot stronger than most, almost on par with the growth rate of you two and Hinata."

"Meaning that if she keeps it up, she'll be powerful," Sasuke said. Naruto didn't look too concerned.

"You just said that we are going to be stronger than her anyway. I mean, if we and Hinata can just beat her, what's the big deal," the blonde asked.

The older man just looked at the boy. 'As usual he grasps all the angles except the most important one.' "Naruto, you won't always be there to protect every person in the village. Any ninja who harbors resentment towards a citizen of Konoha is dangerous. When you fight her, remember that she may have a leaf on her forehead, but she is nothing but an enemy."

"Gotcha!" Naruto looked down to see Rock Lee having defeated Choji. 'When the hell did their match start? And who won the other?' He looked over to see Tenten looking in decent condition. Kiba was nowhere to be found.

"Sasuke, Hinata, Tenten, Rock Lee. That's who have won, right?" Naruto wished he had paid attention to the matches, mainly Rock Lee. Although he no longer trained with them, he still wanted the best for Lee. That and to know how fast he has become.

"Right you are Naruto," Kakashi said. "The only remaining genin are you, Sakura, Shino, Neji, Shikamaru, an Oto nin, and the two ladies from Suna."

Naruto looked over to Gaara. The girl had no emotion on her face. 'Damn, she is kinda scary. I hope I get to fight her.'

The board let out a chime, signaling its next two picks. It called the two girls from Suna. Much to everyone's disappointment, the girl known as Temari forfeited the match as soon as the pairing had been decided.

Another chime came amidst the mass of groans. There were only six genin left. The board lit up once more.

**Kinuta Dosu vs. Haruno Sakura**

Upon seeing the name of the Haruno, the 7 rookie genin became extremely interested. The pink girl smiled madly, her eyes looking at the Oto nin like a cat does a mouse.

'This will be so much fun! Do I finish him quickly or slowly? Slowly, definitely slowly. I need to perfect how much pain I cause. Or quickly! Finish him quickly so I can kill the demon sooner. Quick? Slow? Hm…'

As the Haruno thought to herself, her thin frame moved onto the ground. Sasuke noticed that her body was thin, like someone who needed to eat just a little bit more. She seems a little on the scrawny side.

When both participants made it to the ground, Hayate started the match. Sakura's eyes were still out of focus, her mouth muttering to herself on how to dispatch the boy.

Dosu did not wait, and punched the girl hard. Everyone noticed an odd arm casing with holes in it. It obviously amplified his strength somehow, as the punch sent the Haruno soaring.

Unlike his partner, Dosu decided not to give any quarter to his opponent. He jumped above the girl and brought his arm up for a vicious strike. He slammed his fist into the girl's gut, causing her to cough blood. A boom of sound from the weapon on his arm rocketed Sakura downwards.

She slammed into the ground, causing a large crater. Everyone assumed the girl was more or less finished.

But Sakura just stood up, smiling as blood trickled from her mouth. She brought her fingers to the small stream of blood and looked at them. Her green eyes analyzed the blood on her fingers.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to hit girls," she said with a smile. Dosu just growled and ran in to punch her again. Unfortunately his hand went through her head. The girl was nothing more than vapor.

Suddenly there were five copies of the girl surrounding the Oto nin. He put himself in a defensive position. One of the copies ran towards him. With a small burst of speed as he tried to block, Sakura managed to give him a sweeping kick to the gut.

He flew backwards, to where another copy was standing. She gave the boy a chakra-enhanced punch to his side, breaking several ribs. Dosu fell to the ground in pain. The girls merely smiled at him.

"You can't-" One said.

"Beat us-" The other continued.

"You silly-" Another said, their voices becoming haunting to the shinobi.

"Stupid-" A fourth copy of the girl wagged her finger at him.

"Boy!" The last Sakura kicked him in the chin, elevating the boy.

The group of pink-haired girls moved to attack the airborne ninja, but Dosu activated his arm. A shockwave of sound destroyed the five girls. From a distance away, a bruised Sakura appeared.

'He's not bad,' Kurenai thought. 'Using sound to disrupt the girl's senses and dispel the genjutsu.'

Finding the real girl, Dosu roared and charged Sakura. Despite using his arm attachment, Sakura still blocked each blow. Dosu looked at her with one wide eye, the rest of his face covered in bandages.

"I'm breaking your arms with each hit, how do you keep blocking," he yelled, attacking with more ferocity.

"Let's just say I'm not normal," she said with a wink. Dosu retreated for the moment.

"You're right. You're a FUCKING MONSTER," he screamed. Sakura's forearms where most likely broken in multiple places at the least, along with some ribs and some internal bleeding, but she had just smiled like it was a day at the beach.

Sakura stopped smiling. All look of amusement left the girl. "What did you call me," she asked in a deathly calm voice. The sound of it sent chills up many spines.

"A MONSTER," he yelled in response. Sakura's eyes widened.

"I am not a monster," she said icily. "The only monster is up there." Sakura pointed to Naruto, who only looked at her.

"I am a savior," she told him, her face slowly breaking into a smile. "I'm going to be loved by all. I am the one who will free my village's children from the curse the demon has put on their minds!" Her face was split into a mad smile, her eyes showing pure lunacy. The disguised Orochimaru even found himself in disbelief.

Sakura stalked towards the boy. Before he could attack, the girl pointed a finger at him. Dosu found himself bound to the spot. He looked down, to see he was bound by a tree.

"**Magen: Jubaku Satsu.** The Tree Binding Death illusion. You won't be able to move at all," Sakura said, still smiling. "I was going to just knock you out, but now that you chose to call me a…demon," she spat the word out, "I'm going to have to kill you."

Dosu began to panic as the girl walked within a few feet of him. "I forfeit! I give up! You can't kill me!"

Sakura grabbed the left side of her jacket with her left and pulled it outward like a merchant showing goods. Instead of items, a large white design was sewn in. She wiped some blood on it and a large pink handle to a sword appeared out of it.

"I said I give up," Dosu yelled. Hayate accept it and announced that Sakura was the winner. Much to her displeasure, she pushed the sword handle back into the seal. With a snap, the tree disappeared and Dosu fell to the ground.

Before walking off, Sakura looked at the boy like he was filth and kicked him hard. The boy flew into a far away wall, where he crumpled. Sakura just laughed and flipped her hair. She walked back up to her isolated spot on the balcony.

"I hope you learned from this Naruto," Kakashi said sternly.

"Yeah," he muttered, "very dangerous genjutsu and good strength, but bad taijutsu form, no ninjutsu, and almost no physical stamina."

"I'm going to send word to a friend of mine to train you for the final round of fighting," Kakashi said. "Sasuke, I'll be training you personally. Naruto, you'll find your sensei around the women's bath house."

"Cool," they both said. When Naruto saw that Shikamaru and Shino were up next, he knew his opponent was Hyuga Neji.

"Hey idiot, you're facing a Hyuga next. You won't have much trouble. He's not strong enough in the jyuken to hurt you yet," Sasuke said.

"You're damn right, I'm gonna kick his ass. He's always looking down on everyone, especially Hina!"

Kakashi smiled. "So this is a fight for the young lady's honor, is it? How romantic," the jounin said. Naruto blushed a little and sat down to concentrate on his strategy.

Naruto knew Neji wouldn't be too difficult. Even though he was a very strong fighter, Naruto was his worst type of opponent. His primary concern was not allowing anyone else to see what he had learned and how he fought.

He spent so much time concentrating that Sasuke had to kick him out of it once Shino had won.

"You're up, Naruto," Sasuke said, pointing to a waiting Neji. Naruto scratched the back of his head and walked over to Hinata.

"Any advice for the stick-up-his-ass prodigy," he asked the heiress. Hinata laughed, despite her concern.

"Neji is extremely gifted, don't take him lightly just because of…you know," the last part was barely a whisper. Naruto understood the meaning. She was talking about the Kyubi.

"Don't worry, I got it. Besides, he gives your family a bad name. You guys were always nice to me. Neji is the black sheep I guess."

Before Hinata could respond he bent his knees, moving to eye level. "How about a kiss for luck? If anything, it'll irritate Neji." The Hyuga blushed and gave him a peck on the cheek.

Naruto turned around to go to the match. He faked taking a step, and instead spun around and kissed the girl passionately on the lips. After a moment, he drew away. "There, now I'm ready." Naruto jumped into a high back flip, twisting in mid-air and landing right in front of an irate Neji.

"You filth," the Hyuga boy spat, "how dare you defile my clan by doing something so disgusting!"

The blond laughed. "So kissing a girl is disgusting? I guess it's ok if you swing the other way, I'm sure my teammate might be interested if you're on the prowl."

Neji activated his Byakugan and glared daggers into Naruto. Unknown to the jinchuuriki, his partner was doing the same.

"I'm going to kill him Kakashi," Sasuke muttered. Kakashi just shook his head.

"I know, I know," he said offhandedly.

"I'm straight," he said firmly.

"COULD HAVE FOOLED ME," Naruto yelled from the field, laughing.

'How did he possibly hear that?'

Hayate looked at the odd blonde boy. Naruto was pleasantly surprised to find no glare coming from the man. "Are you done," he asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Naruto said with a grin. Hayate started the match. Naruto didn't move.

**Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuga Neji**

"What are you looking at," Neji asked. Naruto acted like someone had just snapped him out of a trance.

"What? Sorry, I was too busy marveling at the standard Hyuga male."

"Meaning what precisely?"

"Nothing much. Black hair, white eyes, sexually androgynous regardless of gender. You know, same old, same old."

A large number of the Konoha genin laughed. The jounin even smirked a little. Hinata, on the other hand was wondering if she too looked 'sexually androgynous' as her crush had put it.

Naruto craned his head backwards, looking at Hinata upside-down. "Don't worry Hina, you're hot as hell!" He grinned.

Neji felt his patience run out and gave a jyuken strike to each of Naruto's shoulders. The blonde boy leapt backwards.

"Your arms are now useless, you disgrace of a human being." Naruto just shrugged and gave a tiny pulse of chakra. Neji's Byakugan eyes looked in amazement as the tenketsu he sealed opened.

"Ow. You know, getting those things sealed stings a little, but the opening hurts a bit more," Naruto said, rubbing his shoulders.

"How did you manage to open your tenketsu? You shouldn't be able to move your arms!" The Hyuga rushed in and attacked the boy in a flurry of strikes. Naruto blocked most of them, but Neji was too fast and landed several hits to each arms.

Again, the blonde just pushed a pulse of chakra out and his arms came back into use.

'I know I didn't miss this time! How are they opening?' Neji retreated, making distance between the two.

"Your standard jyuken attacks can't disable me, Neji. I have too much chakra now. Simple attacks like that can't keep my tenketsu closed." Naruto grinned.

Neji gritted his teeth in frustration and ran in for more attacks. Naruto kept blocking.

The demon vessel eventually found an opening and grabbed Neji by each arm. He used his foot to trip the boy up and slam him into the ground. Naruto did a somersault in air and dropped his heel into Neji's stomach.

Neji rolled away and flipped himself right side up. Neji charged Naruto again, but side-stepped at the last moment. Naruto was caught off-guard and he gave a hard strike to the boy's exposed side.

Naruto felt a giant stab of pain come from his side. He quickly made distance, nursing his side. Neji, however, followed him and began attacking his left side. In short time, all the tenketsu in Naruto's arms were closed.

In the short time before he re-opened them, Neji gave two hard strikes to Naruto's gut. Naruto spat out some blood.

"**Konoha Daisenpu,"** Naruto yelled, spinning and sending the prodigy rolling on the ground. The boy glared at Neji. "What did you just do, Hina's never shown me anything like that!"

Neji wiped the blood from his lip. "It's a more advanced form of the jyuken. It attacks the organs directly."

Naruto recalled the missing-nin who Hinata had killed in one hit to the heart. "I forgot about that."

"An amateur like my cousin could never hope to use the jyuken efficiently enough like this. She could never take a target down in only a few hits."

Naruto nodded glumly. "You're right." Neji huffed in superiority. "Last time I saw Hina do that, she killed a man with one hit directly to the heart. He was dead before he hit the ground." On the balcony, Hinata let a tear fall.

He stared directly into Neji's white eyes, which held no warmth or tinge of lavender like Hinata. "Afterwards she cried for the man she killed. Hinata is as gentle and caring as anyone could want."

"And that is why she will fail as an heir and doom our clan. We must be a strong warrior clan. A simple girl like her could never achieve anything but ruin," Neji said.

"No," Naruto said. "She's exactly what you lot need. She's fair and strong, and not afraid. She might not go around preaching superiority and looking down on everyone, but that's not right."

"You know nothing," Neji spat, removing his forehead protector. "You see this, the Caged Bird Seal, on my head. All branch members receive it. With it, we can be tortured or killed by a main house member with almost no effort."

"You mean the seal that Hiashi had turned into more of a right of passage than a method to control the branch? I think you are just the kind of bastard who is bitter that he can't lead the clan," Naruto said.

"Silence! You'll never know what it's like to be marked with something! To be looked down like you were trash. You can never know the pain of a seal."

'Wrong fucking thing to say,' Sasuke and Kakashi thought.

Just as predicted, Naruto's face fell. The Konoha jounin anticipated having to tell Hiashi that all that was left of his nephew was a few scraps.

Naruto glared at Neji. He took out a kunai and cut his taijutsu suit off at his waist, and pulled the top off. Well-defined muscles, extremely toned but not bulky, glistened with a small amount of sweat.

"Take a look at my fucking stomach," Naruto said as he drew a tiny amount of chakra. Everyone in the room who did not know about the boy's true nature looked in suspense as an intricate seal formed on his stomach.

"What is that," Neji asked in a clearly unimpressed tone.

Naruto kept staring at the boy. "To answer that, let's have a history lesson." He turned upwards to the Haruno. "This is probably gonna make you want to kill me more, but you know what? Fuck you, bitch," he said, giving the girl the finger.

"As I was saying," Naruto continued, "it's a great story. But it's almost time for your nap so I'll beat you, then tell you it. Seriously, I'm done fucking around with you."

Naruto reached to his wrists and pulled off the two bracers that were attached to his wrists. They dropped with two heavy thuds. Naruto then reached under his pant legs to his shins, where he pulled two more off. He sealed the four weights up.

"Now, why don't you rest for a little."

Nobody in the room except for Kakashi and the Hokage saw Naruto move. Even then, they couldn't see him perfectly. Before anyone knew, Neji had been knocked in the air. The boy began being knocked around like a pinball in an invisible machine.

The next time Naruto was visible, he was holding Neji by the collar. He tossed the boy on the ground. Neji found himself conscious but unable to move.

"You have no idea how easy I just went on you. I might still hit like a chunin, but without those weights, I'm as fast as any jounin."

The group of Konoha genin cheered for their friend. Naruto waved to them. He turned back to the fallen Hyuga.

"I won't keep you in suspense. Let's start our story. It all begins with a man named Namikaze Minato. Anyway, Minato grows up into an extremely strong shinobi and a hero of the most recent shinobi war. In it, he gains the nickname of the Yellow Flash of Konoha. As you can tell, I'm talking about the Yondaime Hokage."

Neji's only response was a groan of pain. Everyone, even Sakura, was listening to the boy.

"Anyway, Minato meets a girl and she falls in love with our future Hokage. They eventually get married and the girl gets pregnant. They eventually have a kid. The girl's name is Uzumaki Kushina, and the child that is born is named Uzumaki Naruto."

Dead silence echoed throughout the entire room.

"Now, the day that I was born was October 10th. I know, great day to be born. Right on the day that a certain giant fucking fox decided to attack. As we all know, Konoha defended itself until the Hokage arrived, who then killed the fox."

The boy wiped a forming tear from his eye with his fist. "That's bullshit. What happened was that the Yondaime created an intricate technique that stopped Kyubi. In short, he sealed the demon fox right in here," Naruto finished, pointing to his seal.

"The Hokage, my _father_, wanted me to be seen as a hero and sacrifice for the village, a symbol of strength. Instead, I've been cursed, beaten, stabbed, and killed over and over again. The only reason I'm alive is because Kyubi heals me. I've had my brain attacked by the Yamanaka, my throat slit by the Haruno. I've been strangled by the Nara, beaten to a pulp by the Akimichi, and have been attacked or poisoned by almost every person in this village."

The entirety of the room gave their sympathy to the boy. Except for Sakura; the girl saw him as an actual demon now. A demon she would kill. Naruto was the fox.

Gaara felt a twinge of something in her chest. She knew it was sympathy, but was unprepared for the idea that she felt it for someone. 'Uzumaki Naruto, you've suffered like me. Maybe together, we can escape the fate of a jinchuuriki.'

"Winner, Uzumaki Naruto," Hayate said in a low tone. Naruto walked out of the room.

"KYUBI," the Haruno yelled. Naruto just looked at her in disgust. 'How dare he look at me like that!'

"Nah, bitch," he said, "I'm just his jailor." With that, he left to find the man who would train him for the 3rd test. He didn't know when it would be, but he hoped the man would have answers.

Off walked Uzumaki Naruto, officially known as the jinchuuriki of the Kyubi no Yoko.

* * *

Don't worry, nobody is gonna snap and be all "he's a demon, KILL!" Even though Kiba, Kankouro, Choji, and Shikamaru weren't present, they'll find out. And they will stand by Naruto.

Anyway, next will be training with Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata. Then after that, some random stuff before the third exam. Oh, and here's the matches

Uzumaki Naruto vs. Tenten

Haruno Sakura vs. Hinata

Uchiha Sasuke vs. Gaara

Rock Lee vs. Aburame Shino

Winner of Naru/Tenten and Lee/Shino fight.

Winner of Saku/Hina and Sasu/Gaara fight.


	13. The Last Days of Genin

I'm sorry for not updating in about half a year. Life has been an odd one. First off, when I started writing this, I was only working. Then college came. Then girlfriend #1. Then Hookup # 1 and 2. Then breakup. And repeat that cycle several times over. Yea, I'm not a noble person by any stretch. The Gaara scene, meaning her uh...emotions...and the like, come from personal experience, though clearly taken out of context. I'm trying to keep the story PG when it comes to the romantic bits...for now. I'm a rather accomplished Literotica author and well...old habits die hard.

Anyway, I was almost thinking of canning the story, but consider how many of you still PM me and hit me up, I couldn't do that. I hope this chapter is ok.

* * *

**Morning Before the Third Task**

Blood.

It had never been shed before, at least not by her. The influence of a certain one-tailed Tanuki assured that. But as Gaara flew over the rooftops of Konoha, with a trio of Suna shinobi in pursuit behind her, she became increasingly worried that tonight would be the first time that she bled. And the last.

The dark-eyed girl recalled walking into her hotel room, seeing her teammates and siblings bound by rope. Then she had been propelled backward by a monstrous force. She knew it had been an explosion, and it had killed her brother and sister. Her sand had protected her from the blast as well as the rain of kunai sent by her fellow villagers. She had been running since.

'No need to ask questions. Just run.' Gaara ran and ran, not listening to the taunts of her pursuers. She could outlast them, she was a fucking _jinchuuriki_.

But just as she began to feel confident in her ability to evade them or beat them into a stalemate, her body was sent hurtling through the air. The girl winced in pain and braced for impact.

She had been blasted off the rooftops and through several walls of a building. Shukaku could only do so much to lessen the impact. Or perhaps she had been caught by someone? It seemed ludicrous and either way Gaara didn't know. The girl drifted into unconsciousness. The last thing she saw was a blurry mop of yellow.

* * *

The jailor of the Kyubi had been exceptionally tired that night. He had spent his time training with a rather odd hermit named Jiraiya. The man was far more skilled than he looked, and trained him well. He learned how to use chakra as efficiently as his young body could, and studied strategy. There was no need to get stronger. He was already at _chunin_ level and then some.

After a month of studying and chakra molding, he was mentally exhausted. His body still ached from his normal training routine as well. Naruto had fallen asleep very early, resigned to get a good night's rest before the final task.

Fate, it would seem, has a sense of irony. Because five minutes before the alarm by his bed was to chime 7:00, a very familiar girl crashed through the walls of his apartment.

His training had paid off, because at the sound of the first wall breaking, Naruto had leapt to his feet. By walls 2 and 3 he had judged the direction the projectile was heading and deduced it was a light person based on the resulting sounds. As Gaara flew into his room, he caught her.

'What the fuck?' Without waiting, he summoned a slicing gust of wind that tore through the girl-sized holes in his apartment complex. As he predicted, the people responsible had intended to follow her in, and found themselves without heads the moment they stepped into the building.

It was as Jiraiya had said: _even the weakest ninja can win with the element of surprise._ Ninja rank varied based on strength, but in the end they were all mortal. As ludicrous as it was to think, anyone could kill anyone else, given the right situation.

Naruto looked at the corpses and saw that they were of Suna origin. Gaara's own people had tried to kill her. It made his blood boil, as well as it made the wind pick up in his apartment. If one looked closely, one could see flecks of red flashing violently. Naruto grinned. _That_ had been another part of his training. By no means did he have any sort of mastery, but yes, the feared Konoha demon could now use some of the very power he was feared for.

He nudged the heavily beaten girl, who he had discarded onto his bed while he had been busy relieving Suna's finest _chunin_ of their upper thirds.

"Gaara," he said softly, "Gaara?" The girl didn't stir. It was then that he examined her.

His counterpart had deep bruises and burns on her body, which were healing quickly and yet far too slowly for Naruto's liking. The white top the girl had should have fallen off her, exposing Gaara's petite torso to the world. Several large pieces of debris lodged in her skin prevented this. It was very much a similar story with her pants.

It took a mere second for Naruto to decide what the best course of action would be. It took him a minute to try to think up an alternative. Then it took him a few more seconds to resolve his nerves to what he was about to do.

'Kyubi,' he said in his mind, 'this girl is not an enemy. She needs our help. Do for her as you do for me. She carries a demon as well.' Naruto heard something like a growl of approval in the back of his mind.

Naruto gently began to strip Gaara naked. He began with the remnants of her top, then her pants. He was relieved that the few remaining tatters of underwear she had on were removed with the pants. The young man didn't think he had it in him to remove Gaara's panties. Surprisingly skimpy ones, at that. Naruto shook the last thought from his head.

He sobered up while looking at the poor girl. She had a tan, petite figure. Small mounds and hips were blossoming from her frame, a sign of her impending womanhood. Naruto knew enough of human anatomy that while Hinata would grow to have a more-than-modestly curved frame, Gaara would retain a thin and athletic build for her lifetime.

Naruto began extracting pieces of shrapnel from Gaara. He would have liked the girl to make at least a grunt of protest. But he heard nothing. When the last offending object had been removed, he placed a hand over two different wounds.

'Remember, just as I said. Heal her like you do me. But do me a favor and leave no traces of chakra. We don't know what it could do.' He heard an annoyed but affirmative growl in his mind.

It was quick work, but intense. In no more that a few minutes Gaara looked good as the first day he eyed her up, save for some dirt here and there. He dressed the girl in the largest of his shirts he could find and tucked her into bed.

Naruto looked at his alarm, which read 7:15. The final task was at noon. Considering how eventful the morning had been, Naruto decided to seal the dead bodies up in a scroll, move his dresser in front of the hole, set his alarm for eleven, and promptly went back to bed.

His mind didn't pick up that he had wrapped his arms around a slightly quivering Gaara.

* * *

Something had hit him. Hard.

Naruto sprang up from bed. Or would have if a gigantic spear of sand wasn't inches from his face. His blue eyes turned from the sand spear towards the very pissed off face of Gaara.

"Where the fuck am I," she asked in a freakishly calm voice. The blond boy shivered. He would have rather she yelled.

"Woah! Let's calm down a minute! I saved your life from the Suna nins!" In a flurry he began explaining what happened several hours previous.

Gaara eventually believed him after remembering getting hit by several A-class wind jutsu. Naruto was glad to have the sand spear gone. It wouldn't kill him but damn it would hurt.

"You…." Gaara looked at him with a look he could not place. "You saw me naked." Naruto blushed and Gaara formed a blade of sand. "Tell anyone and I'll kill you."

Pushing his luck, the boy grinned. "And who would believe I managed to spend the night with the cutest girl from Sunagakure?" Gaara blushed very faintly, and dispelled the sand. Her blush was replaced quickly by a grin.

"Don't think flattery is going to get you anywhere, _jinchuuriki._" Naruto growled at the word.

Gaara, whose light weight had been sitting on Naruto's stomach, found herself pinned with the boy on top. "I fucking hate that word! I…no….WE are not sacrifices for our countries. WE are the poor bastards who had this forced upon us without consent!"

The girl smiled. "Noble words. But try not to get too excited. Or should I say more excited than you are now?"

"What the hell are you-" His words were cut off by a cool, soft hand that had somehow reached inside his pajama bottoms. Naruto gave out a low moan.

"_This…"_ Gaara said in a breathy purr. "This is the best part of our curse. The…_heat_." Naruto moaned as Gaara gripped firmly on his manhood.

"What…the hell…is this…" Naruto asked. Gaara responded by taking off her shirt, which was really Naruto's.

She laughed softly. "I forgot that males begin developing later. Though," Gaara began examining the length in her hand, "I may be wrong."

It was taking every bit of self-control not to take the girl right there. 'Wait! What the hell am I thinking? I'm not even fourteen?'

She seemed to know what he was thinking. "Our bodies develop faster because of our demons. And at certain times during the spring and summer, the primal nature of the Tailed Beasts leaks through."

Naruto crawled away. "Look…uh…it's not you." Gaara fixed him with a stare. "I'm sure you're…."

"Horny. Blissfully turned on. Dying to take _this_ anywhere and everywhere you'll let me." She had reached over and ran her fingers over his hardness as she said '_this.'_

'God damn it. Don't fuck the competition. DO NOT fuck the competition.' Gaara could see the battle going on in the boy's mind. "Look Gaara, I'm sorry. But no."

"No? I think you mean 'not yet.'"

Naruto allowed himself to grin. "That's for damn sure. You're damn hot. Even so, I don't care that our bodies are going to mature really quick really soon. It's not happening. Now here, get dressed. We have to kick the shit out of each other soon enough."

Gaara caught a scroll, which had been sealed with a wax emblem that looked like a frog. "And this is?"

"A gift from my sensei. The pervert believed in always being prepared, at least in this sense." Naruto decided to tease the girl and made no effort to change into his clothing in the bathroom, nor cover himself as he did so.

Gaara's hungry gaze made the boy feel like he had some sort of payback. "Get a hold of yourself. I'll see you at the match."

With that, Naruto kicked aside the dresser and dashed through the several holes in the walls that lead to the outside, courtesy of Gaara. Neither of them were aware that the alarm had been damaged in the commotion, and was in fact an hour early.

* * *

"Where have you been? They started the other two matches without you and that Sand girl. It took the Sandaime's influence to keep both of you from being disqualified!" Kakashi had been yelling very much the same lines over and over for minutes on end.

"Tell you about it later. What have I missed?" Tenten, Naruto's opponent, looked at him in annoyance.

Kakashi looked hesitant. "Well, Rock Lee won. Without chakra to eat, Shino was fighting a losing battle from the beginning. It was still a good fight though."

Naruto could feel the man was keeping something from him. "And Hinata?"

Kakashi flinched a little, which made his student grab his collar in anger. "WHAT HAPPENED? TELL ME!"

"Calm down, Hinata is going to be fine. She is just going to be in the hospital for a few days, nothing serious."

"NOTHING SERIOUS? WHAT DID THAT PINK BITCH PSYCHO DO?"

Tenten, who was upset that her opponent hadn't forfeited, took the moment to say something. "She took a sword to the stomach."

There are many types of anger. Anger itself is a loud outburst of emotion. Fury is even more so. Rage is to be so livid that higher brain functioning ceases and morality might as well be fiction.

So when, without any noise, large gashes began appearing in the cement walls around them. When Naruto's eyes burned red with slit pupils and darkened whiskers adorned his face. When a killing intent so monstrous it poured off the boy in waves. Tenten dropped to her knees.

"You," Naruto said in a deadly calm voice. The voice was unmistakably furious and yet so soft. "I don't want to kill anyone. If I fight you, I can't promise you won't die in the first few seconds. Give up now. Pass the word on to Rock Lee. I know he can feel me. And I know he's terrified."

Tenten nodded and promptly ran off.

Naruto pulled out a massive scroll and unfurled it. He tore off the shirt he was wearing, leaving himself only in black pants and black sandals. He ran a finger over several of the glyphs of writing.

Kakashi marveled as the boy strapped one white and one black sword behind his back, resting them in an x-pattern on his lower back. He tied a pouch of shuriken and kunai to each leg, as well as two hidden blades under his pants by his shins. He placed one small scroll in one of the kunai pouches.

"Not planning on using jutsu?"

Naruto rolled the massive scroll up and tossed it to Kakashi. "She beat Hinata. Haruno Sakura of all people beat Hinata. I don't know how."

"Genjutsu. Very low genjutsu. From what the medics could tell us, Sakura forced the image of her having to fight you."

Naruto felt even more rage flow through him, something he didn't think was possible. "She should have been able to break it."

"She did. Multiple times. Sakura finally broke her by layering that genjutsu with one of you being murdered. Hinata hesitated enough for Sakura to summon the largest sword I've ever seen."

"Describe it."

"Long. Impossibly long. And powerful. She's extremely skilled with it. I don't know how she gets training in this village, but whoever is doing it is extremely powerful with a lot of resources."

Naruto sat down and began meditating. Planning out his assault on Sakura. He was torn from it by the sounds of outraged yelling.

"We've been down here for how long," Naruto asked.

Kakashi never answered because at that moment a _jonin_ Naruto recognized as Asuma ran in.

"Kakashi! Sasuke's hurt. They're rushing him to the best healers right now!"

The silver-haired man paled as much as possible through his mask. "What? Who and how? I taught him _Chidori_!"

"That girl….she's not human," Asuma said.

"Gaara," asked Kakashi.

Naruto took one last look at the lone scroll in his pocket. "No, Sakura."

"She's not human. She's a monster. She has no compassion or emotion in her. She's driven by the delusions of Sasuke's love and Naruto's death," said Asuma.

The next hour flashed by too quickly for the boy's liking. That's not to say he wasn't going to enjoy killing Sakura. He hated her and that made it much easier, but Naruto knew the other truth. Haruno Sakura was too dangerous to let live.

The area was flat dirt. No trees. No rocks. A small wind picked up.

Ten feet from him was the personification of psychosis. Wild, untamed pink hair ran down past her shoulders. She had wide green eyes that showed how broken her mind truly was. A malicious grin was plastered on her horrible visage.

She still wore the same clothing as before, which still held the seal to that sword, Naruto reminded himself.

He saw her eye up the seal on his stomach in disgust.

"You're a filthy wretch. I'm going to enjoy flaying you until that demon can't heal you anymore!"

"Hey proctor, start this match." Naruto had just ignored the girl, much to her fury.

"How dare a demon disgrace me! You'll pay!"

Naruto just grinned. He found smiling almost impossible. He wanted nothing more than to snarl and howl in rage. "And how's that?"

"Once you're dead….I'll kill her. I'll kill all your friends. But I'll save Hinata for last. Who knows, maybe you'll hear her from the grave!"

Naruto snarled as Sakura made to grab the hilt of a sword that had just materialized. "NO! GET THE FUCK OVER HERE!"

The boy reached out with his left arm, which projected a red chakra arm that grabbed the helpless girl and pulled her towards him and breakneck speed. He reared his right arm back, which materialized a gigantic red fist of burning chakra. He pulled back the last little bit and when Sakura's body was within reach, he punched as hard as he could.

A bomb had gone off in the middle of the arena. That was the only justification for the explosion of power that happened. Those watching felt the power push at them like an invisible force. The proctor had been blown away.

But instead of Sakura's impaled and lifeless form, he found the chakra fist had somehow missed. Naruto released the chakra. A condescending clap came from behind him.

"Not bad demon. Had I been less intelligent, I would have not used genjutsu. Unfortunately for you, I am that smart."

Naruto turned around just in time to feel a sword go through his stomach. Naruto was caught off guard. But not from the fact of being stabbed, but because it hurt so much more than a normal blade.

"This sword….isn't normal," he coughed. Sakura laughed.

"Oh really? So glad of you to notice!" She looked like a girl who had just been complimented about her outfit. "You see! This sword…is evil. Or well, it's not evil per se, but everyone who has used it has been evil so I figure it might as well be called evil."

"And you're just one more name to the list, bitch," Naruto said, his right hand reaching for the scroll. 'Just a bit more.'

"Heavens no demon! I'm here to rescue this poor sword. It's so MISUNDERSTOOD!" Sakura screamed the last word and repeatedly began thrusting the sword in and out, burying in to the hilt each time.

"Sorry bitch, but this thing ain't all that great." Naruto pulled out both a kunai and the scroll and slashed at her throat. Sakura pulled the sword out and leapt backward.

Sakura landed and felt a kunai hit the wrist holding the sword, making her drop it. The sword disappeared. Before she could make another move, she felt something cold and metal enter her mouth.

A sword was lodged in Sakura's mouth, prepared to kill at any moment. The tiny scroll still held tight in his hand. But before another move could be made, the stadium was rocked by explosives and a three-headed summoned snake could be seen in the distance. Naruto had been at the epicenter of one of the explosions, which had almost knocked him out. It would have had he not jumped at the last minute. He, however, still felt dizzy. When he looked for Sakura, she had disappeared.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! SUNA AND OTO!"

'No…she….got….away….Konoha…' Naruto felt his consciousness slipping. He teetered around as people fled the arena. He thought of Hinata, helpless in a hospital bed. Where anything could happen. Where she could be killed without effort.

'No…..' He looked around to find the stadium empty. 'Yes….'

Naruto did the only thing he could thing of. He slashed his wrists, which hurtled him towards a blackout. As he began falling on his back, he made seals with as much speed as he could.

In a moment that would change Konohagakure's history forever, Naruto landed on his back, with his palms face down. Black glyphs spread out across the arena floor. Dark storm clouds were summoned. Thunder and lightning cracked from all directions. With his last remaining strength, and all his chakra, he screamed out into the night. He called out for the village's only savior.

**"**KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU…….KYUBI NO YOKO!!"

Naruto looked up, only to see himself staring at the brown fur of the kitsune's stomach. Everything was alright. The village would be safe.

* * *

Alright, so before the torrents of angry messages, or relieved ones, start flooding my inbox, give me a moment to explain. READ THIS!

1. I'm writing more from Naruto's POV from now on. The majority of what you read will be what is directly happening to him, and you'll learn what has happened to the village based on conversation and the like.

2. Sasuke beat Gaara. Then lost to Sakura. Considering Gaara was still exhausted from getting her ass kicked the night before, albiet healed by Naruto, she was in no condition to fight well. Hinata lost to Sakura based on emotion, not skill. This is important to remember: anyone can beat anyone, regardless of how unlikely it is. An academy student could sneak up on a higher ranked ninja and kill them with a kunai to the neck. Everyone can be killed at any point. The reason Sakura won was because she played Hinata's mind and exploited her biggest weakness. And Sasuke lost to Sakura because he has not yet gained enough skill in genjutsu to completely combat someone of Sakura's genjutsu level. The bitch has two skills, fighting and genjutsu. That's it.

3. Lee and Tenten forfeited against Naruto. When he heard the news about Hinata, we're talking about an intent to kill so vicious that it struck fear into both of them, who I remind you are both simple _genin._

4. Don't expect Naruto to be up and walking again anytime soon. Summoning the Kyubi, who I believe you all know is not pure evil in my story, was an act of borderline suicide.

5. Sandaime Hokage will be dead. Sorry. A big part of the next bit of the story rests on Tsunade, who _will_ become the Godaime. Unlike in the manga, she's going to do it to escape debt, the prestige of the title, and the perks. Naruto is knocked out, meaning to her, he's just going to be the Kyubi's _jinchuuriki._

6. Almost done. Gaara came onto Naruto for multiple reasons. Gaara is extremely damaged mentally. She can't sleep, she's been hated even more than Naruto because in Sunagakure, everyone knows she carries a demon. There are no laws to prevent open acts of violence. And she is strong. Not strong enough to take 3 A-class jutsu point blank to the back and be fine, but she's definitely strong.

7. Here's the lowdown on our two jailers. They heal faster. Have more stamina. Have better senses. More chakra. And yes, once their bodies begin developing (which they have, given that they are both almost 14), they will reach physical maturity faster than others and maintain that level longer than their peers. I apologize if this seems ridiculous, but I needed an edge for them.

8. What do you all think should be in the scroll? I got one person who recommended an oversized black revolver with 9 shots and a triple barrel. Named Kyubi. Personally I think guns take the fun out of fighting, so I don't know. I'm looking for a weapon for Naruto. Something overpowering to be used as a last resort or to absolutely decimate.

9. Sakura's sword. _Kyouran._ Think along the lines of a nodachi, which is a japanes sword with a blade about 5 feet long, with a white hilt and pink grip. It's not _evil_ per se. Just powerful. Seals are laid into the folding metal to make it hurt more, keep it clean and sharp, and cause even greater damage to demons. The name means "fury or madness"

10. After Naruto wakes up, he, Sasuke, Gaara, and Hinata will become _chunin._ Naruto based on skill and the possibilty of him dying by being 'overranked.' Gaara for very much the same reasons, though less so about skill. She didn't make a good showing at the exams. Sasuke will have made it on skill and clan influence. While Hinata will make it on clan influence...more exactly the clan's desire for her to be killed or wounded enough to promote Hanabi to heir.

11. Naruto, Hinata, and Gaara are going to become individual and collective pariahs of Konohagakure. Meaning that Gaara is going to stay in the village. A legitimate assassination attempt will have that effect.

12. Oto will be repelled much like in the series once Suna relizes that Orochimaru has killed their leader and taken his form. Suna and Konoha will be allies, which is why Gaara will be allowed to stay, provided she occasionally does missions for Suna and gives them commission.

13. Sasuke will be staying put. As will Hinata. Eventually Gaara and Naruto will feel the pressure from Akatsuki and leave to train.

* * *


	14. Spy with the Byakugan

Prepare yourselves! Naruto is officially leaving the village for two years. Primarily its because I don't believe that a bunch of 13 and 14 year olds can accomplish that much. Once you get to 16 and 17, however, more maturity has set in, as has human growth.

A few important things.

1. Sasuke, Naruto, and Gaara all rock the Konoha Tactical Vest. It seems absurd that generations of ninja wear these things, and for some reason one group decides to say 'fuck it.' That being said, Gaara has no gourd anymore. She keeps all her sand in the pouches and inner layers of her vest. Sasuke keeps the exact same sword from the manga, only he carries it upside-down on his back so he can quickly grasp it. For reasons to be explained, Hinata does not wear a vest.

2. This chapter goes from right after the attack to two years from then. There is some set up, and should give you some idea what is going on. If anyone dislikes where this story is going, give me a hit and I'll see if I can remedy it. Oh, and the next chapter will be out **tomorrow** and deals with Naruto/Gaara's side of things. It takes the same format.

3. I know I am fast forwarding it a lot. Ages 16-20 is where most of the action will be taking place.

* * *

**Three Weeks After the Attack**

"What do you mean he's gone," screamed Hinata to her superior. The cycloptic shinobi waved his hands in defense.

"Hinata, you have to see things from his perspective and Gaara's. The village just saw Kyubi _save_ them! They saw the return of the most feared beast in existence!"

Sasuke sighed and gave Hinata a look of pity. "Meaning they'd be hunted down every minute that they spend in the village."

The heiress had to do something, in this case it was slapping Sasuke. "DON'T JUSTIFY THIS! HE DIDN'T EVEN SAY GOODBYE!" She felt the older man put a hand on her shoulder.

"It was…too painful for him. If he had to do it in person, he would lose the nerve to leave. Here," Kakashi handed a neatly folded note to the sobbing girl, "this is from him."

Hinata tore open the paper.

_Hinata,_

_I'm so sorry I can't be doing this to you in person. You deserve so much better than this but sadly it is something I am unable to provide. Please don't cry, Hinata._

_I'm going to be training deep in isolated woods, near mountains. Gaara and I will get stronger, we have to. Jiraiya let us in on some information that Konoha would rather none of us know. There is a group, a terrorist organization named Akatsuki. As I'm sure Sasuke is there with you, let me say this. Sasuke, your brother is a member of this group. _

Sasuke felt anger bubbling in him, and yet felt eternally grateful to Naruto. "Finally I know where he is. Now I can kill him…"

"Keep reading, Sasuke," whispered the weeping girl.

_Whatever you do, do NOT attempt to engage Itachi or any member of Akatsuki you may run into, however unlikely. We're told they wear long black coats with red clouds on them. If you see them, run. They seek the power of the Tailed Beasts, meaning they are hunting for those that contain them. _

_Extracting such vast amounts of chakra, even though it is foreign, kills the host. If either Gaara or I are caught, we are good as dead._

_Hinata, you need to get stronger in order to lead your clan. Sasuke, you need to get stronger to avenge your brother. Stay close to Kakashi. His Sharingan may not be able to help you Hinata as much as a Byakugan, but he's the next best thing. From what I hear, your family isn't too thrilled with me._

_I'll keep writing you both as often as possible. Take care you guys._

The Hyuga sat down in the fetal position, crying hard. Sasuke moved to her level and put an arm around her.

"This sucks, I know. It hurts so badly. But we have to stay strong. There's not too many people left who support Naruto."

"Well said," muttered Kakashi, "and yet words do so very little by those with so little power. Hinata, I don't know how much training your family will keep giving you. It would be best if you denounced Naruto."

She looked appalled. "Never! I would never do that! How dare you even suggest such a thing!"

"Hinata," said Sasuke with force, "see things in the bigger picture. What is more important? Letting everyone know you support the village pariah or getting stronger?"

"A ninja's greatest tool is deception. Sasuke is too strong-willed to fake being tainted by demonic influence. You are not. You've always been kind to everyone. It'd be so easy for you to act like he had brainwashed you in some manner." Even though his plan was tight, he still felt for the girl.

"W-what…do I have to do?"

"Renounce Naruto. Hate him. Hate Sasuke. This village is going down in flames faster than anyone could have predicted. Above all else, you_ must_ get stronger."

"I'll miss you Hinata."

"You too, Sasuke."

Kakashi looked at the pair. "Now, here's how we do things..."

* * *

Hyuga Hiashi was taking a leisurely stroll with his personal guard surrounding him. He took in the cherry blossoms and beautiful gardens around the affluent properties, and wrinkled his nose at the slums where that _boy_ had been born.

Seeing Kyubi had awoke something dormant in him. Fear. Fear that his clan was not the most powerful, nor would it with Hinata becoming heir. His mind plotted a dozen schemes, but he would not result to simple murder. The Hyuga were too good for that. As he thought of one last scheme, he rounded the corner towards the Uchiha compound.

There he was to witness something that made him love his eldest daughter more than he ever had.

The moment he turned the corner, he witnessed the last Uchiha being propelled through the walls of his own estate. Hiashi was even more surprised to see his daughter step out of the rubble, stalking the Uchiha like a predator would.

'_Remember, you have to fight as if you were the most bitter of enemies. Whatever pain you cause each other will be useless if Hiashi catches wind.'_

"WHERE IS HE," yelled the enraged girl. Her father looked on, awestruck by the pure hatred in his daughter's eyes.

Sasuke threw a dozen shuriken, all of which she dodged. In the midst of her graceful maneuvering, Sasuke planted a hard kick to the girl's ribs, breaking several and soaring her towards a wall.

Hinata flipped herself in mid-air, pushed her feet against the wall, and flung herself back at the boy, a _jyuken_ strike at the ready. Sasuke leaned out of the way at the last minute and caught her chakra-glowing hand at the wrist.

He had intended to throw her far away, but Hinata used her momentum to spin around and deliver a vicious kick to the Uchiha's head. She twisted her body and freed her hand. Then with another twist she had inverted herself and struck several chakra points in the boy's legs, making them a lot heavier.

Part of Hinata wanted to beat Sasuke to prove she was better. She would have been more ashamed if she didn't know Sasuke felt the same way.

'I need to finish this quick. The longer this lasts, the more of a chance we'll fuck up.' Sasuke made a few seals and grabbed his left hand. "_CHIDORI!"_

The Hyuga guard looked in shock at their leader. The clan head simple held his hand up, prohibiting them from interfering.

Sasuke charged at Hinata. She could feel the crackling chakra just about touch her chest before she bent her body backwards. Sasuke's hand hit nothing, and his speed had him careening past.

Or would have, had Hinata not stuck him with an open palmed uppercut. The force of the attack, in true Gentle Fist fashion, did nothing to the outside of the boy.

Sasuke looked more or less fine, except that his eyes were vacant and he was falling to the ground, completely knocked out.

For good measure, Hinata gave him a spinning kick in the chest as he fell, breaking a good number of the boy's ribs. Sasuke fell limp against the gates of his own estate.

She grabbed the clearly defeated boy by the collar, bringing him up to his knees.

"WHERE IS THAT MONSTER?! HOW COULD YOU BOTH DO THIS?!" She slapped Sasuke. "WHERE IS HE?" Slap. "SPEAK!" Slap. "ANSWER ME OR I'LL KILL YOU!"

Hyuga Hiashi, oblivious to the truth, felt proud of the tears of rage in his daughter's eyes.

"Hinata," he said proudly, "he cannot hear you. He is unconscious."

She turned in mock surprise to her father. "Father? What are you doing here?"

Hiashi smiled. "I was out for a little walk, but I must say your fight was much more entertaining that my stroll. Here I had begun to think that you were weak, judging by your loss to the Haruno."

"I am NOT weak, _Father,_" she said through gritted teeth. 'A little honest emotion can't hurt. He should recognize my power.'

"Clearly. What was the meaning of your outburst?"

She dropped to her knees, dropping Sasuke unceremoniously as well. She began to cry. "It was the most horrible thing. Once the demon fled the village, something happened. It was like a mist had been lifted from my mind."

"Continue."

"I thought it was all a dream and that I was still a _genin_ awaiting to find who my team was. I woke up…and I realized that I was older…and I had in fact been partnered with the Uchiha and the demon."

'It cannot be,' thought the clan head. 'Could she have been influenced by that monster?'

"W-we trained together. Shared the s-same t-tent. Ate t-tog-" Hinata forced herself to wretch up her morning meal. "HE TRICKED ME," she bellowed between coughs.

Hinata stumbled over to her father and hugged him tightly, wailing into his clean robes. "Don't make me go back to that. Don't make me become a demon's partner…"

Hiashi patted her on the head with as much affection as the man was capable of. "No, my dear, if all goes well the monster will die in whatever hole he has hidden himself in."

"I…want to be stronger…to protect myself…to punish him for what he's done."

"It shall be so. Now come, let us return home and get you out of these soiled clothes and rid yourself of anything that may contain his influence."

Hinata nodded and followed, still crying and giving the occasional hiccup along the way.

The convoy had almost made it to the Hyuga gates, when an extremely pissed Kakashi showed up.

"What is the meaning of all this, Hyuga? My students fail to show up to training, and I find the one half-dead from _jyuken_ strikes!"

Hiashi looked at him with an icy glare and a superior smirk. "Oh, you'd have to ask my daughter. She was the one who dealt such damage to your prodigy."

Hinata, who had just recognized Kakashi, boiled over in anger. "YOU! YOU DID NOTHING TO PROTECT ME FROM THAT BEAST!"

"What do you mean, Hinata? What beast?"

"Uzumaki…Naruto…" she mumbled, as if the very name would summon him.

Kakashi's one good eye widened. "Naruto? He's never done a thing to harm you."

"LIAR! HE PLAYED ME! WARPED MY MIND! I HATE HIM!"

"No," Kakshi said with sadness in every word, "Hinata…he loves you."

The girl clutched her head in agony. "LIES! WHY DO YOU TORMENT ME?!"

Hiashi stepped between the pair. "Hatake Kakashi, I advise you to leave now and refrain from upsetting my daughter any more than you have already. Consider yourself to have only one student from this moment on."

"Hinata…"

She simply turned away and walked into the compound.

'Success,' Kakashi thought.

* * *

**2 Years Later**

Genius was not the right word. Prodigy was close, but not quite there. Potentially the two strongest eventual clan heads in Konoha history? Yes, that was accurate enough.

Hinata had grown in the last two years, maturing into a 16 year-old with infinite grace and beauty. Her form made the men of the village stare lecherously at her. She had ample curves on her athletic body. She had perfect assests. Hinata became well-endowed, but her breasts were firm and stood pert on her body, not sagging like the heaves that adorned the Hokage. Her backside and hips had swelled, giving her the perfect figure, without a loose bit on her.

As per her routine, she walked down the road in a pure white robe that ended mid-thigh. The neck dipped down low, but not so much as to give more than a respectable show to the lusty men in the town.

Underneath, though no man had ever seen it, she wore skin-tight boyshorts and an equally tight tank top with a plunging V neckline. It was an outfit that showed off her body, but still had the regal grace of the Hyuga.

Her well-manicured hands were hidden beneath sleeves that were too long. The idea had been hers. Hiding her hands gave her opponents a lot less time to react.

Today, she made her way to the Hokage's office. She despised the place, even though she acted like she loved it. On the outside, she was the princess of the village. On the inside, she was the worst traitor since Orochimaru.

"A very good morning to you. Shizune, would you be so kind as to inform our noble Hokage-sama of my arrival. I have an appointment, and she will be expecting me."

Shizune nodded at the personification of elegance. "Certainly, Hyuga-sama." The woman notified the Hokage of the guest, and beckoned Hinata in as she quickly departed. The doors shut firmly behind them.

Hinata sat down in front of Tsunade. "What may I do for you today, Hokage-sama?"

"Please," Tsunade said beaming, "no need to be so formal. But before we begin, we must wait for my apprentice." As if on cue, Haruno Sakura walked in. A younger Hinata would have prickled in anger, but after two years of being a spy, she and the psycho had become as close of friends as Sakura and Ino had once been.

"Sorry I'm late, informing families that their loved ones have been killed is tedious work."

"It's quite alright Sakura," said Hinata. "If any of them gave you trouble, I can see to it that they realize who the proper influence in this village is."

Sakura's eyes twinkled with madness, like she was actually considering it. "No, that's fine. No need to result to such barbarics, _yet._" The pink girl sat down next to her best friend.

"I am here," Tsunade began slowly, "to inform you that in one weeks time, Subaku no Gaara and Uzumaki Naruto shall be returning to the village."

Hinata showed anger, but inside felt nothing but elation. "They are effective outside of the village, why not keep them there? I cannot promise the Hyuga will not pay him a visit and justify past wrongs."

Sakura gave her hand a small pat. "I agree. They are too dangerous to be alive, let alone anywhere near civilization. Are they returning for execution," Sakura asked hopefully.

The woman sighed. "Sadly no. You both know that they have been training with Jiraiya to deal with the terrorist threat of Akatsuki. They have already killed the member Sasori. And from Kakashi's report, they dealt significant damage to the member Deidara."

"With all due respect, Konoha is more than powerful enough to take care of these terrorists," Hinata said.

"True and false, I'm afraid. We have information on members Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame, Deidara, Hidan, and Kakuzu. We know nothing of member Tobi, aside from his orange spiral mask. The leader and the remaining unknown member we know absolutely nothing about."

"The ANBU are strong enough to deal with Hoshigaki, Hidan, and Kakuzu," said Sakura. "And that is not including the remaining forces of the village."

"Yes, but we very well cannot allow every able ninja to hunt for these people. It would leave us vulnerable," Hinata spoke.

"Correct, Hinata. Because Akatsuki hunts the nine demons of this world, and hopes to use their power, they will come in search of Gaara and Naruto eventually. We use them as bait as well as weapons to combat them."

"What does any of this have to do with their return," asked Sakura angrily.

Tsunade gave the girl an assuring smile. "With them here, and in a specialized location, we can better coordinate their usage."

"That would explain the new building next to the Uchiha and Hyuga compounds?"

"Yes, Hinata. The Hyuga will be able to keep an eye on them, and they can remain in close proximity to their one friend, the Uchiha."

"Is it smart to allow them easy access to Sasuke," Sakura asked, purring the boy's name.

"The closer they are together, the easier they are to watch. Now, I intend to have you and the Uchiha watch over the pair of them. Hinata, you must do your best to find out as much information as possible about them."

Hinata showed a very unladylike clench in her jaw. "I will _not_ play friend to either of them, find someone else."

Tsunade was surprised at the girl's lack of manners, clearly she was upset. "I truly hate to ask this of you. Try to see the benefit."

'I get to see him again!' "He may still love me, therefore I am most likely for him to confide in." Tsunade nodded.

"But Sasuke will alert Naruto and Gaara to her true intentions!"

Tsunade only grinned. "Not if we threaten to execute his only two friends and his mentor. If he thinks you and Sasuke might die, he'll become tame."

"I am worried. I may not be a good enough actor, Hokage-sama."

"I trust you. Sakura, alert the Uchiha to this information. You are dismissed."

* * *

Sasuke had just finished with the days training. He was hot and sweaty, and the training area around him gave off a heavy feel of electricity He mentally made a note of his training.

'Taijutsu: Check. Weapons: Check. Ninjutsu: Check. Sharingan-based Genjutsu: Double check.'

A certain pink-haired menace appeared in a flurry of leaves. Still in a post-training high, he spewed three dragons of fire from his mouth. The beasts were on the intruder in a flash, igniting the sand in the area so hot that pieces of it turned to sparkling glass.

"Very good, Sasuke, but you should-AAAAAH!!" Sakura had been impaled by a chakra blade that cackled with electricity, shocking the girl so severely that she began to seize. Sasuke had recognized the intruder before she had appeared.

'That foul chakra could be sensed anywhere in this cursed village.' When he felt enough damage had been done, he released Sakura from the blade. She stood up quickly, with no apparent damage to her, despite the pained screams.

"I warned you about showing your face around me. Your mistake to do it while I'm training," the Uchiha said. Sasuke reached for the katana on his back, which was sheathed invertedly to allow for easier retrieval.

"Put it away, Sasuke. I'm not here for a fight." Sasuke activated his Sharingan, the sight of which made Sakura weak in the knees with desire.

"What is it you want? Speak quickly," he snarled, unsheathing his sword a bit.

"You are to become the chaperone of S-class threats Uzumaki Naruto and Subaku no Gaara. They will return in one week. You will meet them the day after to coordinate how to best monitor their affairs."

"Monitor?"

Sakura gave a wicked grin. "Make sure they stay out of trouble, and out of the people's way. It would be a shame for the village to cry out for their blood."

"How am I to watch two ninja, stupid bitch? Did the alpha bitch not thing of that," Sasuke shot back with a smirk.

"Hyuga Hinata will assist you. You know her power and her influence. You'd do well not to cross her."

'Idiots.' Regardless, a pang crossed his heart. Aside from a note, every couple of weeks, he and Hinata had only seen each other rarely in the streets or in meetings, and even then had to act with open hostility.

It worked. Everyone in the village knew to keep him far away from the Hyuga, and vice versa.

"Must I go talk to that _princess _now? Surely she's off flaunting her body like she always is."

"Yes. It's an order."

'Jackpot.'

* * *

"Is this location secure," said the Uchiha. There was no nonsense in his voice. He had several kunai up his sleeve for quick attack if needed.

"Absolutely," said Hinata.

"Show it to me," he ordered.

She countered with, "you as well."

Sasuke took off his right glove and showed off a simple, one-line spiral on middle knuckle. Hinata hiked up her robe, where her left hip displayed the same tattoo.

'Good, it's her. That tattoo would not appear to anyone without the Sharingan. As mine would not show up without the Byakugan.'

"It has been a while," Hinata said.

"Yes…it has.." He walked over to the girl and gave her a long-overdue hug. They held each other longer than was necessary or proper, but then again it had been 2 years.

"The village has truly gone to hell," the boy said. "Building still look the same as they did after the attack. Were does all the money go?"

Hinata looked furious. "It gets distributed to the Hokage, the Haruno, and the council members. Whatever is left is given to the ninja who performed the missions. We charge almost triple what we used to, but we get paid exactly the same."

"Kakashi said the Sandaime used to use the excess money on public works and bettering Konoha. I can't believe it has only been 2 years."

"Yes, 2 years since the sun has truly shone on our home." Hinata suddenly broke form and looked apologetic. "I'm sorry to open old wounds, but I hope I wasn't too hard on you when we fought."

Sasuke smirked at her. "Oh, none whatsoever, it isn't like I spent another week in the hospital after your attack."

Hinata hugged him tight. "I am so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you but…it had to look real."

"It paid off. If the rumors hold true, we are the two strongest clan heads in Konoha history."

The heiress had a witty look about her. "A shame you are deemed a demon sympathizer, otherwise we probably would have been married."

He laughed. "Sorry but you aren't my type. I prefer mine a little rougher and a lot wilder."

"Oh, well when Naruto gets back I must get him to recount to you how wild and rough I can be. Once I am done with him, however."

"Don't make me shock you, wouldn't want to mess up that regal look of yours."

Hinata gave him a hard poke to the side, which made his opposite leg twitch. "Careful. I can be very good with my hands, Uchiha."

Sasuke rubbed to offending area and leg. "You better be. From what the Haruno says, our missions are going to soon revolve around Akatsuki tracking and engaging."

"I am well aware. Tsunade hopes that you, Gaara, and Naruto will perish while I make my escape. I even have permission to kill at will."

Sasuke leaned against the wall of the tiny room. "Tell me everything about your style."

Hinata knew the meaning of his words. "Using my natural flexibility, I amplify existing _jyuken_ techniques. I am a short range fighter, most effective by countering and then moving in close."

Sasuke felt his punch just barely touch Hinata's nose, before her head had moved out of the way. Rapid strikes ran up his right arm before he could move it. His arm was now useless.

"I will _assume_ you were testing the validity of my claim," said Hinata with a hint of laughter in her voice.

"And I failed miserably. I should have had my Sharingan going."

"Fair enough. Now tell me about you."

"Long range. I use _Raiton_ to attack swiftly and without notice, and _Katon_ to deal out heavy damage. I'm excellent with ninjutsu in both of those genres. I favor this sword on my back, and channel lighting-based chakra to increase its sharpness and shock or paralyze what it touches. My Sharingan has as much power as to be expected."

"That works in our favor. Gaara is most likely long range and Naruto…"

"…is Naruto. Either hack and slash or use _Futon_ to obliterate everything," Sasuke finished for her. "That makes it two long range, both with power and agility. And two short range, one with power and agility."

"And one with some agility, and a ludicrous amount of power."

"We should wrap this up," Sasuke said. "We don't want more attention."

"Very true."

"Hey Hinata," asked Sasuke.

Hinata stared at him, "Yes?"

"Have you prepared yourself for the scenario in which Naruto does not feel for you like he did? We were very young, and it has been quite a long time."

Sasuke should have expected the slap, but he didn't.

"Do not say that to me! I have waited two years! Each and every day I have had to masquerade like some theatric and play a part I never wanted to! And do you know why? Because the man I love needs me to!"

"I understand that, but it is possible that, even though you have written each other as much as possible, it may have only been a crush. I don't want to see you upset, I just don't want you to have too high of hopes."

Hinata glared at him. "Leave my property now, before I decide to give my family the head they have wanted for so long."

He sighed. "Just keep it in mind."

* * *

So do you guys love it, hate it? I realized that the writings after the story tend to only be ideas of where the story may be going. I got yelled at for apparently spoiling my own story. Sorry, but not even I am that stupid.

Only one thing to write here. If you haven't got the hint, Konoha has become dysmal, dysfunctional, corrupt, totalitarian, and impoverished. Oh, and I hope you all don't mind our group becoming the designated Akatsuki finders. 2 demon vessels plus 2 strong heirs. Good, pain-dealing combo in my opinion.

Also, to the soul who PMed me about how they would like for any and all lemons to be based on _my_ personal experiences. I say to you: I pray to God you are female. Otherwise I'm going to be very frightened.


	15. Praetorian: Konoha

As you all should know, this runs **concurrent **with the last chapter. Meaning that both happen in the same timeframe. At the time of editing this, I got no idea what any of you thought of the last chapter, so I'm rolling with this storyline for now.

* * *

**Several Weeks After The Attack**

Rain seemed to enjoy hanging around the Konoha in the weeks following the attack. It had become common knowledge that the leader of Oto, the Snake Sannin Orochimaru, had killed the Sandaime during the attack. Everyone felt like they had lost a grandfather. And in the weeks following, they sought someone to blame.

They _could_ blame Orochimaru, the man responsible. But he was far too distant and powerful for them. Thus they found two sources for their hatred, one new and one old. Uzumaki Naruto and Subaku no Gaara.

Naruto had, after all, made the mistake of summoning the personification of the village's fear. Kyubi. The red menace had carried his fallen jailor on one of his tails as he decimated whatever summoned creatures hurled themselves at him.

Kyubi had been most appreciative of the opportunity to stretch his haunches and satisfy his primal need for carnage. The kitsune had fought along side an enormous toad and together made quick work of their summoned opponents. Kyubi loved it when the cowards of Konoha had tried to attack him, alongside their enemies. Ironic it was that his presence turned enemy into friend as they tried to fell him.

It had failed miserably and because of that, half of the Suna and Oto invasion force would either never be found or never be recognized. But weeks later, nobody remembered that Kyubi had not injured a single Konoha ninja. It just didn't matter.

Had the millennia-old demon not had the foresight to dispel itself within the company of Jiraiya, there was no doubt that a mob would have torn the boy literally limb from limb.

As it were, nobody knew of the location of Uzumaki Naruto nor Subaku no Gaara, save for the hermit and two others. Hyuga Hinata and Uchiha Saskuke were both told in person that until the village calmed down, they would remain in hiding.

Jiraiya however, had been a busy man. Deep in the woods of a very hostile nation, the trio hid out. They had left all items bearing their village symbols behind. In the meantime, he was playing politician.

"Kyubi was unleashed upon the village! The boy must be killed," a council member had spat. Jiraiya had looked around for a friendly face. Even Hyuga Hiashi had turned on the boy, having witnessed the power of the demon once more. Even sadder, he felt his daughter's friendship with the demon had tainted her, and sought to make Hanabi the legitimate clan heir.

"Nonsense you bigoted fools," bellowed the hermit. "Have none of you noted that the kitsune killed not one resident? Not even so much as a scratch?"

"Pure luck," said another.

"We are talking about the most powerful being in existence. A mere tail wag would have killed hundreds! Such care for our people is a sign that the boy has managed to do what his father intended and tamed the demon!"

"I think, pervert, that you should leave the decision-making to those in charge," said a very familiar voice from behind him. The man turned around to see the busty form of Tsunade.

"Tsunade?! What is the meaning of all this? You haven't set foot in the village for decades," yelled the man.

The unnervingly young-looking woman smirked. "The village has offered to buy and nullify all my debt, per my return to Konoha."

"And why the hell would they do that?"

"Now now," she said with a finger wag, "is that any way to address the Godaime?"

"YOU? Has this village gone mad?!" Tsunade just looked at him and beckoned him to follow.

"This meeting is done, let me speak to Jiraiya alone."

Hours later, and using more blackmail and favors than he'd ever admit, Jiraiya had managed a miracle. Gaara would become a Konoha kunoichi on loan from Suna and would be given a _Chunin_ rank, as would Naruto. Furthermore, he had permission to keep them personally as his students for the course of no less than 2 years.

"This village has gone to Hell, Tsunade. Word got out that Gaara was the same as Naruto, and she's becoming hated as much as he is."

"My people feel cheated. Had we known the girl was a demon, she never would have been allowed in," Tsunade said with a grin and a swig of sake.

Jiraiya gave a derisive snort. "Is that what you're telling them? That you were tricked?"

"Is there anything else to say?"

"How about that you want to kill two innocent kids under the guise of protecting the world from two demons?"

"Oh please Jiraiya," Tsunade said with mock hurt, "I'd never have any of our ninja kill those two. They are _Chunin_ for a reason. If they're going to die, it might as well be while serving the village."

The old man turned to leave, but was cut off at the doorway by a pink-haired girl.

"YOU" Jiraiya snarled. Before anyone could move, three frogs had Sakura pinned to a wall and another had turned into a sword, now in the man's hand.

"Unlike others, genjutsu won't work on me or my toads. If I wanted to, you'd be dead."

"Release her," the Hokage said with mirth, "that's no way to be handling my new apprentice."

Jiraiya dispelled the lot of them and walked off. "And don't think of refusing the missions that will be sent to you. There's a couple dozen ANBU who are just itching for a hunt."

"**Futon: Renkudan!" **A blast of wind came from Naruto's mouth, leveling a sizeable portion of land. Indeed, a deep crater 200 yards deep could be seen, its epicenter being a blond boy.

"What have I told you about using jutsu names," asked the hermit. Naruto just glared. "Gaara," he yelled, turning his head towards a girl who was dodging explosive tags and tags of kunai while levitating a mountain of sand.

"Using jutsu names not only increases the amount of time needed to perform a technique, but also alerts your enemy to what technique you are using, therefore eliminating the element of surprise," said Gaara in a monotone, still dodging projectiles.

"VERY GOOD! Now both of you come here," said the man in a grandfatherly tone. The pair sat down, exhausted. Jiraiya noticed that they sat far closer together than they had years ago.

"Gaara, you are 17 and Naruto is 16. We have been out here for 2 years, getting stronger, but it is time to go back."

"Why," asked Gaara. She hated to admit it, but she had grown fond of being Naruto's only company. And while she had not managed to get the boy to accept her advances, she knew it was mostly because the hermit was always around.

"Because it is not as safe out here as it once was. No place in this world stays secret for very long."

"It was _them,_ wasn't it," asked Naruto, baring his teeth.

"Yes. It was Akatsuki."

_Naruto was completely exhausted, leaping from tree to tree. He was driven purely by his will to live. He had nothing left. No chakra. No stamina. Nothing._

"Which one," asked Gaara.

"Hidan."

_The former puppet-master of Suna had been killed by two swords of sand to the core on his chest and two metal blades that pierced as well. Naruto caught the exhausted Gaara, envying her for passing out. Then out of nowhere, a wad of clay was flung at his shoulder. It exploded._

"Why can't these fuckers die? We already got one, why can't the rest just follow suit," yelled Naruto. His hand moved its way to his left arm, which had been extremely painful to grow back.

'_Shit! SHIT! I'm not gonna die. She's not gonna die. I haven't even SLEPT with her yet for fuck's sake!'_

_Naruto looked behind him to see Deidara still in pursuit, high and mighty on his clay bird. He looked straight ahead and finally saw that he was heading for a cliff._

'_Kyubi, get to fucking work.' The boy leapt off the edge of the cliff. As he fell, he saw Jiraiya leap out of the trees and begin to fight the Akatsuki member._

'_Jiraiya…I hope…we live…'_

_He looked at the girl in his arms. She was barely awake now. She knew they were falling._

"Konoha is the only safe place for now. You two are strong enough to protect yourselves from all but the strongest _Jounin._ I imagine Hinata and Sasuke will be quite surprised."

"_We're going to die, aren't we?" Naruto felt a tear fall from his eye, matching the one from Gaara's._

"_Probably Gaara," he whispered._

_Gaara lifted her head up towards his. "I don't mind…if it's like this."_

_Sheer ecstasy poured through the pair as their lips met. The euphoria took away whatever pain they would have felt. For the moment their lips touched, they crashed hard into the earth below._

At the gate to Konoha stood two teenagers. One was about six feet tall, the other was less than five and a half. The taller one had blond hair, while the shorter had red. The blond wore black pants and sandals, along with a tight black long-sleeved shirt and a Konoha vest. The other wore very much the same, except her vest was a great deal more form-fitting. She also wore a tight red tank top instead of a black shirt.

But what would alert the guards later and eventually would send entire village into a frenzy, was that the blond had whisker marks and the redhead had dark bags around her eyes.

The pair walked purposefully through the town. They stopped nowhere, intent on getting to the Hokage's office as quickly as possible. When they arrive, a stern brown-haired woman looked at them.

"You must be Shizune. Tell the Hokage that Jiraiya's pupils have returned," said Naruto in a very masculine voice.

Shizune felt a trickle of fear run down her spine. These were the two demons. She had heard talk of them whenever someone was angry or drunk. They said they killed without remorse. Men. Women. Children. The pair bathed in their blood. Fornicated in it. Cause death and destruction to all who saw them.

"S-she's not here."

The girl looked at the frightened woman. "We can sense her. And judging by the reek of liquor," Gaara sniffed at this, "she's passed out. You are in luck though, we know the perfect remedy."

Naruto grinned and flicked his hand at the door, causing a blast of wind to blow it off its hinges.

"ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON-," hollered Shizune. Gaara knocked her out before she could say anything else. But sadly, the woman's antics had alerted every ninja and ANBU in the building.

Gaara and Naruto stood back to back, surrounded by a dozen ANBU, all with swords pointed at them.

"Now, now," said Naruto, "is this any kind of welcoming party? We're here to do what good ninja do and report to our superior."

"Why should we believe that," hollered an ANBU behind a bird's mask.

"Because you'd all be dead if they were serious," said a feminine voice. Naruto felt his anger rise.

Because, even though she had on normal ANBU attire, he'd recognize pink stripes on a cat mask and untamed pink hair anywhere.

"Great," Gaara drawled, "Haruno Sakura has made ANBU."

"Just one of the perks of being the apprentice to the Hokage. I look forward to showing both of you."

"And I look forward to you sucking my sword like it was an Uchiha's cock, just like last time," growled Naruto.

"THAT…IS…ENOUGH!" The collective group turned to see a very awake and very irate Hokage. "ANYONE WHO IS NOT A DEMON, GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

Gaara smiled and gave a pointed look to Naruto. He got the message and together they began to walk off.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU TWO ARE GOING?!"

The boy gave his superior a surprised look. "What do you mean? You asked for all demons to stay, so we're leaving."

"YOU KNOW DAMN WELL I MEAN YOU TWO! SIT DOWN BEFORE I HAVE TWO DEMONS EXECUTED!"

"Public executions don't interest us," said Gaara. "What do you want, Hokage-_sama._"

Gaara and Naruto took a seat to satisfy the growing anger of the old lady.

"Don't fuck with me. Do you understand," asked the Hokage. "Have you taken a look around here?"

"Well it does seem a whole lot more _subdued._"

"Smart you are, Naruto. Unlike my sensei, I control this village with an iron fist. I don't give a damn about councils and welfare and all the bullshit that the old man wished for. He was fighting a losing battle."

Naruto looked out the window. In two short years buildings had lost the clean luster of the Sandaime's regime. Paint was peeling on every building, and that was on the buildings that were newer. A great many of them looked as they had after the attack by Oto.

"This place looks like shit, old lady. Your predecessors would be ashamed some big-titted bitch now sat in the very chair they did. You're pathetic." Naruto had to cough the last word out, seeing as Tsunade had him by the throat.

She gave a hard squeeze, knowing that it had crushed the boy's windpipe. She also knew enough that it had healed the moment she did so.

"I can kill you both now, for no reason. I can commit MURDER and you know what would happen? I would have a statue made of me. Eternal thanks for slaying two monsters!"

"Put him down or you'll find out how much we've learned in the past two years," growled Gaara. Sand began circling the office, originating from pouches on her vest.

Tsunade felt her hands begin to burn. She turned to the boy to see he was glowing in demonic chakra.

"Kyubi doesn't like when people mistreat us, especially you all. He saved your asses and you can't even treat his vessel with the proper kindness?"

Tsunade let go, but laughed to hide the wince of pain. "Is that what happened? I was pretty certain that I returned from traveling just in time to save my beloved village."

"I can't wait to take your job, hag." Naruto brushed himself off. "Now what the fuck do you want with us?"

"Simple really. You and Gaara are to stay in an apartment together. You will be supervised by two people of your choosing and my agreement."

"Uchiha Sasuke and Nara Shikamaru," said Gaara.

"I accept the Uchiha, but not the Nara. You see, all of your classmates have been killed in action."

Naruto swelled in anger. Red chakra whipped violently around the office, setting papers aflame and burning the walls lightly.

"Repeat yourself, and may God help you if you say the same words."

"Aburame Shino, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, Inuzuka Kiba." The Hokage ticked the names off her fingers. "All killed in action."

The chakra grew more and more intense. "Explain. NOW!" Naruto was all but prepared to cleave the bitch in two.

"The lazy one and the fat one were killed during the Third Task by none other than your demon."

Gaara wrapped sand around Naruto's limbs to hold him back, and it was taking all her strength to do it.

"YOU LYING BITCH! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Naruto was all but foaming at the mouth.

"Well," the Hokage said with a laugh, "it certainly wasn't by us during the attack. And it definitely couldn't have been because they were demon sympathizers. Oh and the other two? They were meant to track Akatsuki member and terrorist Uchiha Itachi. As you see, they failed."

Tsunade snapped her fingers and four ANBU and Sakura appeared. "Sakura, will you show these two to their living arrangements? Oh, and let their caretakers be made aware of their arrival. Though I do believe that they should be able to tell by the foul smell in the air.

"Yes ma'am," said all except Sakura. Sakura snapped her fingers and the ANBU unsheathed their swords. "Sand demon, keep a tight grip on your lover there. One little slip and I might just give the signal to have you all killed."

Naruto could only glare in hate-filled red eyes at everyone around him. Part of him was grateful to Gaara. Without her here, he would have killed half the village by now.

This wasn't a home. It was a prison.

Gaara knew the second she saw the building that this was her new home. Mercifully it was next to the Uchiha compound, meaning it was far from the rest of the village.

The building looked from the outside like a normal one-story building, except that it was brand new. Unlike normal homes, this one had emergency barrier seals inlaid at the four corners. The walls looked very thick, and the rectangular building looked not unlike an overgrown prison cell.

"No bars on the windows, psycho," snorted Naruto. An ANBU growled and hit him with the blunt side of his blade.

"Show your superior some respect, monster. Haruno-sama is an ANBU Captain."

Naruto looked at Sakura in confusion. "How'd you pull that one off? You can't exactly blow Tsunade, though I'm not entirely sure on that one."

The blond boy felt a fist hit his face, shattering his jaw and sending multiple fractures around his skull. The force ripped Naruto from Gaara's sand and sent him flying into a heavy wall, where a loud crack alerted the ANBU that the boy's spine had snapped.

Naruto, to his credit, simply stood back up, not even bleeding. Sakura looked at him with determination to kill. She didn't, however. Sakura brought a gloved fist to her mouth and licked it, eliciting an almost orgasmic moan from the girl.

"As much as I _love_ hurting you, I want you two to get in your new home and stay there."

Naruto continued to glare down Sakura as he walked past her and into the building. An ANBU slammed the door, leaving the pair in darkness for a moment. Gaara used some sand to open all the shudders.

Mercifully, it appeared to be a normal home despite the protective seals laid in the ground at every exit. It had a kitchen, a decent table and meeting area, a respectable bathroom, and single bedroom. Naruto was relieved to see two beds.

'Thank God. It's going to be torture pent up in the same apartment as Gaara. The girl may be a virgin but if she had her way neither of us would leave the bedroom for weeks.'

"Awfully classy for a demon's place, huh Sakura."

Sakura gave him a sickly sweet look. "Thank Hyuga Hinata. She and Uchiha Sasuke are your caretakers, and she would rather die than see you again. But as she must, it might as well be in hospitable conditions."

"Fuck are you talking about, bitch?"

She turned stern. "She told us everything about how your demonic influence brainwashed her! You're hated more than ever for tainting the princess of Konoha! Beg for her forgiveness tomorrow." She slammed the door in their faces and activated numerous protective seals.

Hinata hated him? It had to be some joke; a lie concocted by a crazy girl. He tried to rationalize it but couldn't.

'She…hates me. The girl I love wants me dead…' Gaara watched all life fade from the boy's eyes. She stood helpless as he walked wordlessly to his bed and began to scream and weep into his pillow.

Gaara felt her heart go out to him. 'How dare she! I swear I'll rip her to pieces with my sand. The Uchiha too, if he stands by her.'

She sat down next to the devastated boy and began to rub his back with one hand.

"Shhh…Naruto…it'll be ok…"she said with as soothing of a tone as possible. 'It will be ok…'

Naruto sobbed forever but never felt the comforting hand leave his back. It hurt so much. He wished it would stop. No more pain, or stabbing, or hate, or rejection. He wanted love.

Gaara managed to soothe Naruto into turning over. The first thing his tear-stained face saw was that his tears were not alone. Small tears trickled down, shining against the black rings around her eyes. They sparkled like diamonds.

"Gaara…"

"Shh…"she pleaded with the boy. "For once, don't say a word. You are in such pain." She sobbed through her words. "Let me, please let me heal you."

For only the second time in their lives, the two _jinchuurki _felt their lips touch. Their tears poured out silently.

At least for one night, the two of them would escape their pain.

* * *

Million dollar question: Do they get it on or no? Part of me wants Naruto to save himself for Hinata, the other part of me thinks 'hot, redheaded, vulnerable' HELLO WHEELHOUSE!

Sasuke is loyal to Naruto. As is Hinata. And Gaara...though exactly _how_ loyal is up to you guys.

Naruto and Gaara think that Hinata has betrayed them. They suspect Sasuke of the same.

Hinata is a spy for Naruto, while also a spy for Tsunade. She basically needs to find out info about the dealings of the village, while feeding Tsunade info about Naruto's company...but not so much as to comprimise them all. Yea...she has it rough.

For the guys (and i really hope girls as well) out there, lets put Hinata at a large C cup and Gaara at a normal B. Hinata has a rounder butt too, while Gaara's is small and tight. (In shape goddammit)

I saw it happen to a friend of mine. She penned a story and two characters finally slept together. After that every review was "OMG when do they slay again?!"

If I write a lemon, DO NOT make me regret doing so. A perfectly good story was ruined because of such things.

And finally, although I love all of you guys greatly, several PMs have begun to show up more and more frequently. As of this, I have got a total of 7. The next few lines are going to be rather graphic and vulgar. Those with morals or weak constitutions will be best advised to turn away...NOW.

Ok, what in the hell? I sent out the warning to the one person, apparently they got the message but several copycats decided to get bold. Its amusing enough once or twice, but I am getting real pissed seeing PMs in my email. Especially because they run the gammut of 'hey what do you look like' to 'how big is your -insert term for male genetalia-" Unless you are hotter than anything else I've seen on this planet, and live somewhere near me, you are not finding out. I don't care if they're jokes or if people are actually serious. So let me make this clear: I'm not fucking any of you, giving out my address or IM to any of you, meeting any of you, or answering any sex-based questions whatsoever. UNLESS you are ridiculously hot and I'm in a real good fucking mood.


	16. Stir the Pot

JIRAIYA'S CONVERSATION HAPPENS ALONGSIDE THE END OF THE LAST CHAPTER!

Ok, I really like this chapter. A couple of people complained that the fic is getting too dark, which I am sorry for. But it _is_ intended to be rather dark. Most people are despicable human beings in this. Naruto gets attacked first chapter, Ino gets devoured by Kyubi in the second. Tazuna is doing everything for his own gain. Zabuza is still evil. Gato is evil. I don't know at what point these people expected it to become lighter, but I am sorry if it turns you off.

A few issues:

1. Hinata **always** loved Naruto. She had to **act** like was tricked. Hinata loves Naruto, I repeat. This is universal fact.

2. I got a wide variety of opinions about Naruto x Gaara. Several still consider it too gay, which I understand. Let's face it, it's hard to think of Gaara as a chick. Others were all for it for the purpose that this isn't a 'one true love' fic. I mean really, dating and random sex does happen. People also thought it'd be cool to get Gaara and Hinata to have a little fun with Naruto together. Not happening. The girl, though she dislikes her family, still is rather royal. No threeways. Ever.

3. Sasuke has been getting a raw deal so far. That'll change eventually.

4. More than once people have told me that my Tsunade and Sakura have made them physically angry. They are supposed to be hated. I've read too many fics where the villians are just...there. For me, I need my villians to be more than garden-variety evil Just wait until Akatsuki makes an appearance. Most of the reviews I get talk about how much they loath the pair. This makes me proud as a writer.

5. READ THE PRE AND POST FIC NOTES! Usually these can be important for clarity or whatever else. People who ask "is Hinata really a spy?" this goes out to you. Some things I don't put too much detail into because I know I'm gonna explain it after.

6. What Jiraiya is going to say in several lines from now about Naruto...untrue. Most things my characters say will be truth unless otherwise stated somehow. But so you know, Naruto is extremely strong, but what helps the most is that he can continue to heal himself. Think about it. Even if someone is weak, fighting someone strong, if the weak one can't get hurt badly, it puts the strong one at an loss. Oh, and Gaara can also heal, but she doesn't get cut much, what with the sand and all.

5. Some of you guys with your ideas, have hit what I'm going for dead on. To those that have written reviews saying where they think this is going, or ideas, some of you will be very satisfied.

6. So killing off most of Naruto's class did what I expected it would, made several of you pretty upset. This isn't a manga. This isn't a movie. Not everyone is going to live. It could very well work out that Konoha wins and everyone else dies. Probably not though.

* * *

**Sake Bar**

Jiraiya, the Toad Sannin, was enjoying a potent bottle of sake. Perhaps enjoy was the wrong word. He _needed_ a drink. His students were somewhere in the village; where, he did not know. It was too dangerous to meet with them so soon. Tsunade had eyes everywhere in this dingy town.

"I think I'll take a cup of that."

'Speak of the damn devil,' the man thought. Tsunade, ever smirking, sat down and began laying waste to his drink.

"Following me are you," spat the gruff man.

"Of course. You act as if you didn't expect it." She downed the entire bottle with ease. "Now tell me _exactly_ how strong your pet monsters have become."

He sighed. "You know, if you actually got to _know_ Naruto, I'm sure his good nature would rub off even on you. The kid is nothing but loyal to a place that wants his head. None of your little drones know a thing about valor."

"They don't need to in order to complete a mission. Valor is what got Iruka killed and most of the demon's graduating class."

The man waived at the server, holding up two fingers for two new bottles of sake. "Don't peddle your bullshit to me. My toads are stealthier than you give them credit. I know all about the murders."

The Hokage waived it off dismissively. "It was a good opportunity to see how ruthless Sakura could be. Danzou has trained her well. She'll be a superb successor to me."

At this, Jiraiya smirked, then chuckled, then split into a wide grin, and then finally broke into a barking laughter. Tsunade was insulted to say the least. "How dare you laugh at the supreme ruler of this village! You live only by my whim!"

Jiraiya laughed even harder at this. "HAHAHA! Like you could kill the likes of me, let alone Gaara!"

"And the _boy,_" she spat the word as if poisoned.

"He is truly his father's child: tremendously powerful. He's as strong, if not stronger, than any ninja you could throw at him."

She took a swig straight from the bottle. "You are overconfident. I crushed his throat with ease."

The old man looked unimpressed. "Am I supposed to be worried? Tell me, did he bleed, or cough, or show any kind of pain of any sort?" He saw the thoughtful look on the woman's face. "That's what I thought."

"The ANBU could handle him, if not, then an assassination squad would."

"I am afraid not you stupid woman. For the likes of you and your lackeys, Naruto is effectively _immortal._"

Tsunade covered her surprise with a challenging smirk. "People say that about me, their beautiful Hokage."

Jiraiya poured himself a cup and drank its contents. "Yes, but tell me if you could survive having an arm blown off and a 300 foot plummet _after_ killing Sasori."

"If it was me, I never would have lost an arm nor fell," said Tsunade. She was bluffing. She knew of Sasori and his puppetry and mastery of poisons.

"Do you know what is funny, Tsunade? You kill off Naruto's allies, and yet can do nothing about them. Nor can you do anything about his strongest friends."

"Meaning what," she spat.

"Only you yourself could possibly kill me. Sakura could maybe kill Sasuke, but she could never kill Hinata."

Tsunade gave a high laugh. "I wouldn't worry about that. Without a certain demonic influence around, Hinata has seen the beast for what he truly is. And make no mistake, she could kill Sasuke."

'So that's Kakashi's game. Smart man.' "Hinata would never betray Naruto, Sasuke, or Kakashi!"

"If your information is so weak on her, I should not be surprised to see that the rest of your claims are false as well. But I believe you were saying something?"

"Naruto and Gaara could lay waste to your _chuunin_ with ease. Most of your _jonin_ would fall by their hands too. You may think a vessel's power only extends so far, but they have surpassed those limitations."

"We will see when the time comes. That is if Akatsuki doesn't kill them first."

"You would give a terrorist group two demons to use in order to kill my students? What will you do when that power gets directed towards Konoha?" Another cup was poured and consumed.

"Everyone has a price," she said. "Everyone."

"Naruto doesn't. Gaara doesn't. Sasuke doesn't. Kakashi doesn't. And I will be damned if Akatsuki doesn't!"

"I'm willing to bet the village on that."

* * *

Naruto pulled away, tears still threatening to fall. "Gaara, I'm sorry but I can't do this. I refuse to believe that bitch until I see Hinata for myself."

She stared at him. "I want this…so much. You want it too…"

"I know, but we can't do whatever we want. We are going to run this place one day. We are stronger than this."

She shook her head and forcefully tried to kiss the boy again. He grabbed her and held her away.

"Please don't make this harder than it already is."

"Naruto, we are both lonely…so completely alone. We are both _jinchuuriki_. Where are we going to find love aside from each other?"

Guilt flowed through him. "I really don't know. But until I see Hinata and Sasuke with my own eyes, I can't do this."

"I don't understand, but go now. Find a way out of here because if what you say is true, if you stay you'll regret it," muttered the girl. 'So close…why Naruto? Why can't you open yourself to me?'

"There are protective seals all over this place," he said bluntly.

Gaara looked at him with a smile. "…and?"

"Good point," he said. "I'm out of here. I'm sorry Gaara." He gave her a hug and walked out the door. His eyes immediately turned red as it eyed up the seals, all four of them.

'This is supposed to contain us? She doesn't know who she's fucking with.' With two red chakra-charged fists, he shattered the barriers that should have been invisible to him. 'Time to give my _friends_ a visit.'

* * *

Sasuke sat at a table. It was dark wood, almost black and it was had multiple scrolls with information of Hinata's fighting techniques, as well as dated materials on Gaara and Naruto. Laid off to the side was all the information on the group known as Akatsuki.

_Knock._ Someone was at the door. At night. Sasuke was no fool and grabbed a short sword that was hidden under his desk. The Uchiha compound was always extremely dark, so he couldn't make out the person who was behind the sliding door.

"Identify yourself," ordered the Uchiha. No answer. Sasuke repeated himself. Again, no answer came from the human figure.

He took no chances and in a moment had skewered the form with a blade of chakra. The stab had burnt the paper off the door, opening just enough for him to see the distinct 'pop' of a destroyed clone.

Cool metal touched the Uchiha's neck. He also felt a kunai at his lower back. Sasuke almost shivered in cold fear of the killing intent rolling off the person behind him.

"**Is it true,**" said a growling voice. The sword pressed closer to Sasuke's neck and the kunai began to break the skin.

"Is what true," he said in a voice he hoped sounded calm. He slowly began to move his hands towards a position that he could form a chakra sword and impale his target instantly.

**"Move again and I'll take your hands from you. I repeat, **_**IS IT TRUE?"**_ He clamped his hands to his sides. Whoever this was, he was strong.

"I don't understand what you're talking about!"

The blades were released from his body but relief was short. In its place, the man's hand grabbed his throat and pinned him to the wall.

Sasuke winced in pain, and when he opened his eyes, a face he feared he'd never see again was in front of him. Tan skin, blonde hair, red eyes, and darkened whisker marks.

It was a very pissed off Uzumaki Naruto.

"N-Naruto," he almost shouted. Naruto dropped him to the ground and pointed the sword at the throat of his kneeling body.

"**Did you betray me? Was the bitch lying?"**

Sasuke stood up, not caring if Naruto slew him or not. "Naruto…" The Uchiha had never been one for emotions, thus surprising the blond when he was wrapped in a tight hug. Naruto shoved him off.

"It's not true. It was Kakashi's idea!" Sasuke begged for Naruto to believe him.

Naruto put the sword away. Sasuke noticed that it looked like a slightly longer katana, with a black blade and a red grip.

"I can still kill you if I want to."

"And I'd fight back," Sasuke smirked.

"I don't believe you, _yet._ This better be a good story."

The smirk disappeared and he gestured Naruto to follow him into his study, where he had been working previously.

"The village was furious after the attack. Summoning Kyubi was the stupidest thing you could have possibly done. I'm actually surprised you lived."

"I wasn't supposed to," he said. "The chakra drain was more than enough to kill me, but Kyubi kept me near and kept feeding me his chakra to keep me alive."

"You look older." It was true, Naruto looked like he was about 20 instead of 16.

"About that," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head, "mine and Gaara's bodies age to peak performance faster than normal humans and we maintain it for longer."

"You probably can pass yourself off as old enough to drink. Though I'm pretty sure any drink you got would be poisoned."

"Home sweet home," Naruto said sardonically. Sasuke motioned to his work.

"This is becoming my masterpiece. Check it out, they are dossiers on all known Akatsuki members. While it isn't perfect by any stretch, if the intel is good, we should be prepared for them?"

Naruto looked it over. "I understand the parts with me and Gaara, but what about you and Hinata." He could barely choke out the last name.

"We are in charge of monitoring you. We are also to operate as a four-man cell, sometimes five if Kakashi is available."

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but…Hinata…" Sasuke could see his pain and waived his hand.

"She's one of us."

'YES!' "I heard otherwise."

"I told you, it was all Kakashi's idea. When the attack happened, everything changed. Some lady became Hokage hours after the Sandaime's death. She used to be trained by him."

"Tsunade, that bitch. I'm not a vicious person but I can't wait to end her."

Sasuke glared. "Try having to deal with her three times a week. And when it isn't her, it is the Haruno."

"Go on with the history lesson, Sasuke."

"Right," he said. "So, _someone_ let's slip that Gaara is like you, and we all know they fucking love you. They want her dead almost as much as you."

"Glad we got the hell outta here." Naruto secretly wondered how Gaara was holding up after his rejection.

"And you did. In the next week, everyone we know begins dropping dead. Shikamaru and Choji were killed by Suna nins in the attack, but officially were casualties of Kyubi."

"Tack on one more reason to kill Tsunade," he growled.

"Shino and Kiba were killed in action. They were sent to spy on Akatsuki."

"Anyone else," he feared the answer.

"Our old teacher, Iruka, but not by anything foul. Some woman named Yuhi Kurenai died several weeks ago as well. I don't know how she felt about you."

"Do we have anyone to help us?"

"Gai, Anko, Asuma, Rock Lee, and Tenten."

"What about Neji, any chance?" Sasuke flinched.

"About that…after you guys left and everyone loyal to you was getting killed, Kakashi made a plan. Hinata kicked the shit out of me, claimed she was tainted by your demonic influence. She's a damn good actress."

"Let me get this straight….she still is on my side," Naruto asked.

Sasuke smiled. "The two years have done nothing but good for you. She's head over heels in love with you, man."

Naruto could have kissed the kid in happiness, but thankfully didn't. Sasuke continued. "She managed to work her way into the good graces of Sakura and Tsunade. She's been keeping me alive for some time now."

"Huh?"

"Aside from Kakashi, I've got nobody. Gai and his team come by when they can, but they have to be covert about it. I should have been killed a thousand times over, if not for her."

"And for the Sharingan, of course."

He winked. "Hinata's been busy. But she did it so she could be trained by her own family and get stronger. It worked."

"Someone up there must like me. So it seems it'll be you, me, Hinata, Gaara, Gai, Tenten, Lee, Kakashi, Anko, Asuma, and Jiraiya versus the whole village."

Sasuke nodded. "Eleven _jonin _ninja, or ninja at that level, versus Konoha. That's about 25 _genin_, 60 _chuunin,_ 30 _jonin_, 25 ANBU, Sakura, and Tsunade."

"The _genin_ either won't fight, or won't even be worth our time. Out of the ninety or so upper-level ninja, maybe a dozen will be a problem. The ANBU are either hit or miss. Sakura will be a pain in the ass, as will Tsunade."

"About Sakura, be fucking careful. Since before the exams, she's been fed a diet of experimental drugs to improve her abilities, and has been trained by Tsunade. Oh, and she's still fucking insane."

"Explain the drugs."

"She's monstrously strong. If you aren't prepared for a kick or a punch and you don't channel chakra to defend yourself, you're as good as dead. I had to do a mission with her. I'll never forget it. Bodies were everywhere. Even the one's who could defend a direct hit, their guards were broken through…and then killed even more viciously. Between that and her sword, she killed an entire village in a matter of an hour, and that was just to hunt everyone down."

Naruto clenched his fists. "Why the hell was a village destroyed?"

"The leader badmouthed Tsunade. So she had everyone executed. Men, women, and children were all killed. And she made the leader watch. It's going to stay with me until I die…their screams."

"Enough! We have to play nice until Akatsuki is dead, or mostly dead. After that, they're going to face me."

"With the Akatsuki, we need to be extremely careful. Tsunade wants everyone but Hinata dead. Any order we get could be a trap to get us killed. She could say there is two, and instead we could walk into all of them."

"What do you have on the Akatsuki, Gaara and I only have brief knowledge and what we gained from fighting two of them."

"The most manageable ones are Hoshigaki Kisame, Hidan, and Kakuzu. Deidara and Tobi appear to be the next easiest. My brother is going to be the hardest that we know of."

"So nothing of the leader or the last two members?"

"Not a word. But unfortunately I need to get this stuff done. You need to get back too."

Naruto glared at him, "No. I can't go back there, not yet. Plus I need to see Hinata."

"Why can't you go back?"

He looked at the Uchiha in discomfort. "Well…Gaara wanted to _take advantage_ of our situation, and well…I didn't. Not so long as I didn't know about Hinata's loyalties."

"You have the damn life. Two cute girls both want at you, I'd kill for that. I'm assuming Gaara didn't turn ugly."

Naruto laughed. "Absolutely not, though if you think that she's cute, she is all yours."

"Uzumaki Naruto, nothing but charity from you," he said sarcastically.

He winked. "You know it."

"But seriously, no seeing Hinata tonight, it's way to risky. ANBU patrol this area like crazy. I'm surprised that you didn't get caught."

Naruto laughed, almost evilly. "Oh I did. That fucker was scared shitless too. He wasn't scared for too long though."

Sasuke sighed, but looked worried. "Did anyone hear you? Feel chakra? See you? And did you dispose of the goddamn body?'

"He didn't even have a chance to scream, and I just used my sword. He was sitting on a building, and yes, the body was disposed of."

"Sealed?"

"Only the best. I have a plan for the body count I'm going to rack up."

"I'm sure. Now get out of here. Meet outside your old apartment at noon. Nobody lives there, they think it's cursed."

"Charming. Alright, it was great to see you again. And I'm relieved that Hinata is one of us." Naruto gave his friend a hug and exited the compound in a quick swirl of wind.

* * *

Gaara and Naruto stood outside of the apartment complex. Naruto had nothing but years of bad memories from the place. Gaara only had the one in which her people betrayed her and knocked her through several walls, trying to kill her.

They watched as Hinata and Sasuke turned the corner. He looked past Sasuke and stared only at Hinata.

Blue eyes met white, and suddenly the bodies that owned them were in the middle of the street, embracing each other. Sasuke took this time to usher Gaara away, feeling bad for the girl's feelings.

"Naruto…" It felt so good to be back in his arms. She melted into him.

"Hina…oh Hina I missed you so much. God…I missed you…" Tears threatened to fall from his eyes, while she was already crying silently.

He wanted to kiss her. God he wanted to. But now was not the place. "I thought about you every day. I heard from Sasuke about how much you went through to help me. Thank you, Hina." He hugged her tighter.

"I would do anything for you, Naruto...I lo-" She began softly, but was cut off by Naruto.

"Don't say it. Not here. I want it to be perfect," he said.

"Should we get Sasuke and Gaara? These slums are mostly uninhabited, but lingering anyplace too long is dangerous in this town."

"Good call." The pair walked around another corner of the building, where Sasuke was sitting with Gaara, a comforting arm around the girl.

They talked about their lives over the last two years, and briefed each other on their situation with Akatsuki and within the village. Aside from Hinata having to be a spy, she had it far better than the rest of them.

As the meeting was ending, Naruto turned to Hinata. "Hey Hina, can we take a walk or something somewhere? I can disguise myself if need be."

At that moment, the most hated women appeared in a swirl of leaves. Sakura appeared, with her mask off, wearing a very smug look. "Sorry, demon, but we must limit your influence on the princess."

Naruto smirked. "_Princess_? You know, I kind of like that." He turned to Hinata. "Can I call you that, Hina?"

The girl blushed hard. "No. You will address me as Hyuga-sama, if at all."

"Dammit," Naruto said with a wide grin. "Oh well, I gotta lose some of the time."

Tsunade looked at the group. "Hinata, I know you're paired with those filth, but you should not associate with them more than is needed."

Hinata nodded and gracefully began to walk toward the two women.

Sakura grinned madly. "Does it hurt Naruto? Even a devil may cry when they lose a loved one? Are you going to cry? Cry for me Naruto…let me see your pain!"

Hinata kept walking towards them.

"But of course you can't even love, can you? You had to trick her! You're nothing but the worst filth. Nothing but a bastard that should have been killed!"

The Hyuga was ten feet from the pair. She turned her head back, looked at the trio, and winked.

"LET ME FEEL YOUR PAIN," Sakura screeched.

Sakura felt a blinding pain in her stomach. She coughed hard, spitting up blood. Looking down, she saw two delicate hands protruding from the white sleeve of a robe. Her green eyes looked up, meeting Hinata's.

Truly, the Byakugan is something to be feared. Pulsing veins, almost evil-looking eyes that practically glowed with power. The Sharingan may be more famous, but straing into those furious white eyes, even Sakura felt fear.

"For Shikamaru and Choji! Two strikes," Hinata said as she attacked, her regal face contorted into rage.

"For Kiba and Shino! Four strikes," she yelled as pain flourished inside Sakura.

"For the Sandaime! Eight strikes!" Hits came harder, faster. Only Sasuke could keep up, his Sharingan blazing.

"For Sasuke and Gaara! Sixteen strikes!" Sakura began shaking madly. Her body began exploding in pain. She had never felt such pain. Sakura screamed in agony.

"For Naruto! Thirty-two strikes!" 32 almost-invisible hits assaulted the girl's body. Muscles tore. Organs ruptured. Sakura flew towards the cold stone building behind her. Hinata followed instantly, never breaking form.

Hinata reared her arms back behind her. In a blast, blue chakra flowed all around her hands. "AND THIS IS FOR ME! SIXTY-FOUR STRIKES! HAKKE ROKUJUYON SHO!"

The power of the hits blew a deep crater behind the now slumped, dying form of Sakura. Hinata kicked Sakura over to Tsunade, who caught the girl.

"What have you done," she wailed.

Hinata smiled like a cat that just got the cream. "What should have been done long ago. Take that bitch and get her healed. I am not finished with her. This was a taste of what I can do."

"YOU…TRAITOR! You lied to us! To me!"

She grinned. "No shit."

'So unladylike,' thought Naruto with a proud grin.

"I'll have you killed for this, I'm the Hokage," screeched the furious woman.

"Tsunade," Naruto growled. The Hokage, still holding Sakura tight, looked up at him.

"What, you fucking filth?"

"We are strong. We are not the greedy, self-centered followers that bow to you. We will stay right here in Konoha to hunt Akatsuki. You will not attack us."

"YOU ARE AS GOOD AS DEAD!"

Naruto walked over to his old apartment building. "No, we aren't. We are the strength you need to keep money pumping into this hellhole."

"We are not living by your standards," growled Gaara. "You can find us at the Uchiha compound."

"Tell my father that I will not be his heir," said Hinata maliciously.

"YOU WANT A WAR? I'LL GIVE YOU IT! ANBU!!" Immediately, two dozen armed ANBU appeared. Two of them saw Sakura and rushed her off to the hospital. They all pointed their swords at the group.

"No," said Naruto. "Not yet. You can't risk losing what shinobi and kunoichi you have. I'm calling your bluff. This is one bet you can't win."

Tsunade sighed, though still dying to spill the boy's blood. "The day will come that you'll pay in full for insulting the ultimate power in this village."

"Wrong," growled Naruto. "Do not make me repeat myself ever again." Naruto's eyes turned red. "DO NOT FUCK WITH US!"

A blue sphere of swirling chakra appeared in Naruto's hand Wind whipped violently around him.. Tsunade looked in fear at the weapon.

"That's…" she gasped.

"**FUTON: RASENGAN!"** Naruto slammed the softball-sized sphere into his old apartment building.

A boom deafened the ANBU and Tsunade as the building exploded in front of their eyes. When the dust settled, Konoha had one less run-down block in it. And the group was gone.

* * *

"Do you think that'll work," asked Gaara. Sasuke nodded.

"Yes. It's dangerous, but it'll work. Tsunade knows that if she fights with us, it'll do catastrophic damage to not only the village, but its forces. She wouldn't have anything to be the leader of if she fought us now."

"We don't have much time here though. We would have had more if Hina would have remained a spy," said Naruto.

Hinata huffed. "I encourage anyone to attempt what I have been doing the last two years. It was unbearable."

"So formal," said Gaara with resentment.

Naruto ignored the quip. "But it means that we are not safe here for as long as we thought. If most of us get injured during a fight, we'll be easy targets. Remember, we are not home, we are simply keeping our enemies very close to us."

"Let's start looking at alternate places," said Gaara. "The sooner the better."

"No need," said Sasuke. "I have the perfect place. The Uchiha have a home by a lake, near the border of Oto. It's completely hidden."

"How's it hidden if it's by a fucking lake," said Naruto.

"Long before the ANBU, the Uchiha made up the assassins of Konoha. It's the perfect retreat when the time comes."

"That doesn't explain why nobody knows of this place," grumbled the Uzumaki.

"Simple," said Sasuke, "it's not by a lake. It's in it, some of it, at least. The rest is underground."

"Whatever," said Gaara. "Can we cross and burn that bridge when we have to? For now we are fine."

"Relatively," countered Naruto.

Hinata smiled sweetly. "I suppose it is off to the Uchiha compound, is it not?"

'Dammit.' "Yes, yes it is," said Sasuke. Somehow, he knew his quiet home was not going to stay that way much longer.

* * *

Two weeks later, Tsunade was visiting an almost recovered Sakura when Shizune burst in.

"Hokage-sama! The monastery has been attacked!"

The Hokage looked at her in annoyance. "Your point?"

"The few survivors mentioned black cloaks with red clouds, and a man who talked about bounties. The other was a religious fanatic."

'Kakuzu and Hidan.' "Send the traitors to the monastery. Tell them their mission is to apprehend or kill the pair after learning their motives."

At the door to the Uchiha compound, Naruto opened the front door to find a black scroll at his feet.

'Fuck. So it begins.'

* * *

How was it? I'm trying not to rush things. This story is probably gonna get to 40 or so chapters. I'll admit I am kind of wiped from shelling out so many chapters so fast, so don't expect one tomorrow.

Don't expect fighting for at least the chapter after next. It's time for some interpersonal relationships to grow, plus they need to scope out their opponents.

1. For those who don't remember. Hidan carries a three bladed scythe, and can change forms so that anyone it cuts is dealt the same damage as he is. Though he is just about immortal. Kakuzu is made of multiple shinobi body parts, sewn together as an improvement to the old body. He has a total of five 'lives', each of which resides as a mask on his back, with the original 'life' being his original heart. So 4 masks on his back.

2. I know it seems really odd how their living arrangements is working but here is the lowdown. Naruto's group is powerful. As is Konoha. Konoha attacking them would mean losing a great deal of manpower to kill Naruto's group. Konoha hasn't recovered from the attack 2 years ago. Naruto's group has no reason to attack Konoha yet, since they need a safe place from Akatsuki, who will not attack a whole hidden village. Thats suicide for their 2 man groups, and more than that would attract attention. When either Konoha decides to test its luck, or enough Akatsuki are dead, or some other event happens, they'll get the hell out of there.

3. Naruto's sword will be explained in due time.

4. I hope Hinata attacking and almost killing Sakura satisfies you. Usually the 64 Palms attacks chakra points, but Hinata has modified it for a more deadly purpose. It still attacks the chakra points, as in the area, but does internal damage instead of closing the points. It's very strong, and is almsot certainly fatal without medical attention. A nice strong strike to the head or heart would do the job instantly, but this causes agony before death.

5. Blades are the weapon of choice. Sasuke has a sword and can make one, Naruto has a sword. Gaara can make anything out of sand. Eventually Hinata's gonna get a little something.

6. Im trying to make it up to you guys by updating as fast as possible. I mean, 3 chapters in 2 days. That isn't easy.

7. Finally, the reason that Hinata slaughtered Sakura and let her live was because she did a surprise attack. So killing her like that is on a level that the Hyuga heiress is not willing to succumb to.

Akatsuki Strength Ranking: 1. Tobi 2. Pein 3. Konan. 4. Itachi. 5. Deidara. 6. Kakuzu. 7. Zetsu. 8. Hidan.


	17. Men of Pride and Greed: Hidan and Kakuzu

Hey, this is going to be one dark chapter. Those who are not looking for a large body count for today's chapter may want to read with some discretion.

For those of you who don't live in the US, tomorrow is July 4th, Independence Day. I will be at the beach all day. I am posting this at 8:20 PM EST. After which, I am showering, getting dressed, and that will probably be the last time I am sober for the entirety of the weekend. The 5th is my birthday, so I will be spending it getting money and getting bladdered. Probably the same for the next two days. If it works out that I get another chapter done, cool. If not, sorry guys.

I will say though, I was eating lunch with some of my friends and from another table, I heard the world _cataclysm._ I listened for a bit and realized that this kid was talking about my story. He liked it, and it made my day a little better.

A new character is going to be introduced this chapter. Her name is Kei. No last name. She is about 5 foot 5, in shape and good enough body, and comes from a wealthy family, though that does not stop her from working the fields. There's no voting on if she lives or dies, or if she even really stays in the story.

People have been calling, now that Naruto has passed on everyones favorite nymphomatic redhead, for Sasuke to get on that. To that, I say maybe. I say maybe because when thinking out this story, originally, Gaara was gonna get wasted during the chuunin exams and never become more than a passing thought for Naruto or Sasuke. Gaara feels like she's just _there _right now. I need to flesh her out a bit.

Oh and last thing. I got a PM from someone who will remain anonymous. Anyway, this person decided that in her curiosity, she wanted to know if her body was close to my Gaara's. 1. The answer is yes. 2. I take most things in stride, but thanks for having a bra and panties on. On that note, is this sort of thing commonplace up in here?! Like, I now am learning to embrace (tho not reply), tho the assured sexual harassment i will recieve via PM every time i post a chapter. But honestly, goddamn, either there are far crazier girls out there than the ones i've been with (to which i am thankful), or i just attract the weirdest bunch of people ever. So I say to you, my readers, you are weird, possibly undersexed, funny, supportive, and all in all really chill people. ** Thanks for being awesome!**

* * *

**Deep in the Forest of **_**Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire)**_

A hundred miles from civilization, meaning a small outskirt village, stood a temple. It had several great spires, an ornate seal of _Hi no Kuni_ on its front, and always hummed with the calming melody of chanting.

In it, peace in all things was taught. As a part of this mantra, inner peace was created through bodily training. Through enlightened thought and diligent regiments, a faction of warrior monks roamed the land. They interfered in altercations that Konohagakure could not reach in time.

In this current age, however, that village no longer cared about its people or its country. Unless paid for, many of the ninja of Konoha would not fight to protect their land. So in their place, the warrior monks provided peace. From the beginning of Tsunade's reign, they quietly opposed the greedy woman.

She may have turned the village into a wasteland of decadence, but the warrior monks had kept many of the country's people moral and just.

Yet, in what could only be an act of pure hatred, the majestic temple was now crumbling amongst the flames of ruin.

"Burn you motherfuckers! Feel the power of Jashin, the one true god!" A man with long, straight silver hair sped around the inner sanctum, hacking and slashing at every body he could find. He wore a cloak that was fastened only up to his navel.

More importantly, the cloak bore red clouds upon it. The man was Akatsuki.

Hidan lived for this. Fountains of blood exploded from wounds on countless monks. Screams of agony and despair flooded the halls. Hidan licked his lips and spread his arms out like a martyr. "AH! Yes, that's what I need! Does it hurt?" He lifted up one of the few women who resided in the monastery. "Tell me my dear, does it hurt," he whispered, sounding unlike the madman from seconds ago and more like a doctor planning to heal.

The woman sobbed, clutching her bleeding stump of an arm. "Jashin will save you, sweet girl. Go and embrace him, tell him of his true follower, Hidan." He grabbed the woman by the jaw and tore it out, listening in bliss at her last sounds of agony before choking on her blood.

He surveyed the room. It was much like the others: multitudes of bodies, all injured, few dead. Hidan threw the cloak off his shoulders and drew a symbol on the ground. His skin turned black, with white, bone-like markings remaining.

This hellish skeleton screeched. "Give up your lives! Have eternal peace as the fuel for the destruction!" Hidan impaled his heart with a pike. He sighed in absolute pleasure from the pain. What should have killed him did not, instead the hearts of everyone he cut burst open, killing them instantly.

Hidan resumed his normal appearance and began to whistle as he drug his triple-bladed scythe on the ground. This had been even more fun than capturing the _jinchuuriki_ of the two-tailed demon cat. They had put up less of a fight, but at least he could kill them.

He lazily followed the echoes of screams, knowing they were the byproduct of his partner, Kakuzu. Hidan had never failed to kill, unless ordered not to. He sighed at the corpses that littered the floors, all headless. Some of the heads remained on the floor, but a number of them could not be found.

'So unholy, they didn't get to offer their lives to Jashin.' Hidan walked into a rather elaborate chamber, clearly meant for prayer. The talismans and tapestries were strained with blood and body organs. He just made it in time to see a myriad of black threads force their was down a bald man's throat, before splitting him into pieces in an elaborate display of blood and gore.

The threads returned to the arm of their master, who seemed to have great control over them. A white headpiece and black mask covered his face, but not his black eyes and green pupils. The man reeked of decaying flesh; his arms looking like they were made from several different bodies.

"Done so soon Hidan? I was planning on being made to wait while you prayed," said Kakuzu. His voice was gravely and despite his mask, his breath spat putrid odors into the air.

"Make a mockery of him and it'll be you I sacrifice next," spat Hidan. Kakuzu picked up the severed head and sealed it in a scroll marked 'bounty.'

"We move to collect the money on these heads, then we return to the cave. We will await our next orders," Kakuzu ordered.

He spat at the man's feet. "Fuck that! I demand more bodies!"

"You'll have them," said Kakuzu, losing patience. "We must get the money for these bodies. Those are our instructions."

"We do nothing but gain money! I joined on the promise of absolute chaos and obliteration," yelled Hidan.

"I suggest you take it up with our Leader, Hidan," growled Kakuzu. That paled Hidan and shut him up. "We must leave now, no doubt our actions will spark a response from Konoha."

The pair embarked towards the nearest agency to claim their reward.

* * *

Hinata led the formation as they sped through the canopy of trees, her Byakugan looking out for hundreds of yards in every direction. At the very edge of her vision, she could see a flicker of flame on the horizon.

"I see it! Three hours northwest from our current location is my best estimate if we hurry."

"No good," said Sasuke. "That's too much time."

Gaara chimed in. "He's right, we can't go and help them. It's not our mission."

Through her Byakugan, Hinata stared at the girl, appalled. "How can you condone doing nothing? They could need our help!"

"Hina, it's not that we don't want to help," said Naruto. "It's that we can't."

"Of course we can! There is always some way to help," chastised the Hyuga.

'She's still so pure,' thought Sasuke. "No, not always, we can't save everyone. You'll go insane if you hold yourself to that."

"He is right, you know." And Hinata did know, she just wouldn't admit it.

"From Jiraiya's information, Akatsuki is merely collecting money at this stage. For what, we don't know," said Gaara.

The blond thought hard. "Why attack a monastery of warrior monks? They only protect, and don't pose a legitimate threat."

Sasuke grunted. "Apparently having four sets of minds at work between the two of you hasn't helped." Both vessels heard indignant growls in the backs of their heads. "People only get murdered for three reasons: passion, power, or money."

Hinata began to see where the Uchiha was going with this. "Passion is unlikely, after all this is a terrorist organization. They are after the tailed beasts, none of which would be put in vessels to be hidden in the monastery. It would be far too unsafe."

"So money," asked Naruto.

"Most likely," assured Sasuke. "If Akatsuki is gaining money, they'll be taking assassination jobs or collecting bounties to do so. If it's assassination, we won't be able to find the source."

"Let's hope it is for bounties then," said Gaara. "What routes are there out of the monastery?"

"Just one. A small road that goes to an outskirt village, but from there they could go anywhere."

"I don't like the idea of gambling on their direction. They won't be in too much of a hurry, so they'll probably follow the road through the trees." Naruto did not want to bet everything on one direction, only to be wrong and lose their lead.

"Sasuke, what information do you have on these two," asked Hinata.

He pulled out a tiny scroll that had been delivered via bird to the Hokage. "At least two men, one with a scythe and silver hair, and both are wearing cloaks with red clouds."

"Hidan, then," growled Gaara. She truly hated Akatsuki. Their wonton regard for bloodshed was just as bad as the demons they sought.

"And….Kakuzu, possibly?" Hinata was not as well versed on the members as the other three. At times like this, she kicked herself for not studying about them as much as her friends.

"Good call, Hina. It's probably the pair of them, Kakuzu has a history of killing his partners for their bounties. Since Hidan is 'immortal', they're perfect for each other."

Gaara's eyes widened. "Sasuke," she almost yelled, "Hidan's religious! That Jashin shit!"

"Yes," he said defensively, "why?" She ignored him and turned to the Hyuga girl.

"Which way is the outskirt village," she demanded.

"Northeast, two days from the monastery and two and a half from here, given our pace."

"FUCK! We've got to hurry!" The trio looked at her with confused faces. She growled at them. "An outskirt village will be closer to a major town, meaning a bounty agency!"

"She has a good point, Na-"

"Shut the hell up, Sasuke! I can't believe I have to fucking explain this," she yelled rapidly. "Small, _un-fucking-defended_, village. And the two biggest mass-murderers of Akatsuki, a sacrificing religious nut and a greedy bounty hunter, are going there. They're fucking dead without us!"

'Fuck,' the guys thought in a panic.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Naruto blurred through seals, before donating a good chunk of his chakra to summon the largest toad in the world, Gamabunta. The toad landed with an impressive shockwave, leveling a large section of forest.

"**Naruto," **bellowed the toad, **"why have you summoned me without battle?"**

"A couple hundred people are going to die if we don't get our asses northeast as soon as possible! We need to get there as fast as possible!"

"**I am not some common mule to carry passengers on my back!"**

Naruto glared furiously at the toad. "If you don't take us there right now, and if it's not fast enough, I will summon the fucking fox to take care of you. **Understood?!"** Naruto almost roared the last part, grinning as the toad cowered.

"**Get on,**" he said gruffly. The ninja needed no telling twice. "**I can smell a village in the distance, perhaps two hours away."**

"Then hurry," growled the blond. "We don't know how much of a lead they have on us."

"Have either of you traveled by toad before," said the redhead to the two Konoha residents. They both shook their heads. Gaara smirked. "Channel chakra into your feet and hold on, this will be bumpy."

Gamabunta took a long drag from his pipe and launched himself into the air in a grand leap, covering great distances at a time. True to Gaara's word, it was not comfortable.

* * *

Kakuzu and Hidan had made it to the small village with an hour of daylight left. It was a meager place, no more than thirty or so buildings, most of them homes. Fields of crops, however, extended as far as either could see.

In the village commons, children played with sticks as swords and pieces of bark that had been shaped into kunai and shuriken. Hidan watched them play with great interest. He thought of how it would feel to impale those children on their very sticks or squeeze the life out of them.

Kakuzu was sizing up a house in the distance. It was a great deal larger and more ornate than the common homes that made up most of the village. He looked toward Hidan, who he saw watching the children. "Hidan, I am going to see who lives in that larger home. Even it parts like these, people always want a rich man dead." Kakuzu left Hidan to himself.

"Hey mister," said a squeaky voice, making Hidan aware of the tugging on his cloak. "Are you a ninja?"

Hidan smiled nicely and knelt to eye level with the boy, who couldn't have been more than seven or eight. "That's right, and I'm a very good ninja."

The boy was awestruck. "So awesome! I want to be a ninja."

"Oh really, and what village would you want to go to?" He kept smiling, although he stared at the boy like prey.

"Not Konoha," he said. His young face contorted into a childish one of anger. "Kei says they're a bunch of mean people."

"This is very true," Hidan nodded. "The world is full of bad people. That is why shinobi and kunoichi exist, to get rid of the wicked."

"Arashi," came a scolding female voice, albeit young. A girl who looked almost completely grown up came jogging over. She wore a short robe and sandals. Hidan noticed immediately that she had decent strength behind her muscles. 'Probably a field worker.'

"I'm so sorry, he has a habit of bugging people." She rounded on the little boy, now named Arashi. "What have I told you about talking to strangers?"

Arashi shook his head. "I know, but guess what Kei? He's a ninja! See, he has the headband thing!" The boy pointed to the 'headband thing,' which had a slash down the middle of it.

The children playing all turned towards the ornate house in the distance. A retching scream pierced the night. A blast came from the center of the home. It had been a fire jutsu, which now engulfed the entire home.

Kei looked in horror as the front door opened, and framed in flame, a demonic-looking man in the same robe as Hidan came out. Finally, she screamed. For she saw that, clutched in the monster's left hand, was her father's head. It was lifeless, an eternal look of fear and horror echoing from the wide eyes and open mouth.

'There's my cue.' The Jashin supporter plunged his hand through Arashi's chest. He looked in amusement as the boy's face turned to fear and agony. "Sorry kid. I told you the world is full of bad people. I'm one of 'em." Hidan gripped the boy's lung and pulled it out before kicking the boy away, leaving him to drown in his own blood.

Hidan tossed the organ away. "So messy, haven't you cretins ever heard of cleanliness?" He grabbed the scythe that was on his back. "Now…let's hear some screams…" The man charged the group of children.

* * *

"Oh no…" said Hinata with a gasp. "It is happening!" It was very faint, but she could see smoke in the distance.

'Damn it, we still are at least ten miles away!' "We kill them," growled Naruto. "Hina, you and Sasuke will take out Kakuzu. Gaara and I will take Hidan."

"We don't know much about Kakuzu's techniques, so be careful. Naruto," Sasuke said, "you guys need to be fast about it."

Naruto and Gaara nodded.

Kei was cradling the dead body of Arashi, weeping hard and loud. Hidan knew she was there, but had left her. He had moved to murdering the other villagers, leaving her alive for no real reason.

Too afraid to flee, her body in shock, it seemed like hours before the screams of her friends, family, and neighbors were silenced. Finally, the pair of cloaked men stalked towards her. The man with the scythe was laughing madly, while the other's green eyes just gleamed in the fading sunlight.

"WHY DON'T YOU JUST KILL ME," she screamed, clutching the dead Arashi harder. "You took everything else from me…"

Hidan only grinned wide. "Oh, not everything, my dear. Your anguish will please Jashin greatly, but I demand more pain! You have one last thing to be stolen from you."

"No…" she gasped, dropping the corpse and shielding her body.

"Oh yes," he said, licking his lips. "I didn't see any decent boys your age as I slaughtered through the village. I must assume you are a virgin; one last treasure to take before you are given up to the true god."

"I have no desire to watch this. Get me when you finish," Kakuzu said, embarking for the fields of crops.

Hidan paid him no heed. He grabbed the girl by the throat and effortlessly ripped her clothes off. He was pleased to see that, despite her brown head of hair and delicious body, she had maintained her lower portion better than he had expected.

"Now that is nice," purred Hidan. "Such a lewd strip of hair, for such a plain farm girl. Something more fitting to see in the brothels of the world, not on you."

Kei screamed and kicked at the man, who felt the blows like a horse would a fly. She watched the man take off his cloak, baring a pale chest to her.

"You know, the last girl I raped, I kept her alive long enough for her to know she was pregnant. Then I offered her and my unborn son up to Jashin." He bound her hands and ankles with quick lengths of rope.

She felt herself put to her knees. Hidan achingly traced the zipper of his black pants. "If you don't perform well enough, I'll give you the same treatment."

Kei resigned herself to her fate. She'd be violated in the worst ways, over and over, before he put her out of her misery.

"Oh," he grinned, "this will be fun."

"**I…beg to differ."** Hidan wheeled around.

Amid the burning village homes stood Uzumaki Naruto. His eyes burned red, glowing maliciously in the night. His clothing whipped violently from the wind he produced, as well as the red chakra seeping from him. The chakra crackled off him not unlike the fire behind him.

His eyes glared into Hidan's, black whisker marks and slit pupils showing pure hatred. Behind him stood a girl with red hair, also dressed in Konoha attire. She had dark bags around her eyes, and sand orbiting her thin physique.

"UZUMAKI NARUTO AND SUBAKU NO GAARA! AHAHAHA, how lucky am I?" He threw the naked girl aside. "Three demons in one mission! Jashin truly favors his followers!"

"**You won't be saying that for long." **The ground cratered where Naruto had vanished from. He reappeared in front of Hidan, a long clawed hand reaching for his heart.

Hidan side-stepped it with ease and slashed at Naruto. His scythe just missed. He then leapt out of the way as a coffin of sand tried to crush his body.

"Not bad! But you will need to be far better to beat me," he said, twirling his scythe by the rope at its end. He flung it at Naruto, but it redirected mid-air and came towards Gaara. A thick shield of sand took a large dent, but the scythe bounced off harmlessly and returned to its master.

"Shall we dance," Hidan grinned, bowing deeply.

* * *

"Hakke!"

Sasuke had attacked Kakuzu from behind, but the man had split his body at the threads to avoid the hit. Hinata had flown in and delivered a fatal blow to the man's heart. She had felt a porcelain mask shatter beneath her hand and under his cloak, before a mass of threads punched her backwards.

She landed with as much grace as a girl with several broken ribs could.

"Pests! All speed and no substance! Trickery and gimmicks can only get you so far," he yelled, staring at the Sharingan.

"Really?" Sasuke spat three huge fireballs at the man. He watched as a mask sprouted off Kakuzu and snuffed his jutsu out with a swirl of water. The mask stayed outside its owner, a human-like body of thread being made for it. It looked like a sick puppet to the Uchiha.

He charged the puppet with sword in hand. He ducked and dodged a flurry of strikes from it before channel chakra into his blade and cleaving the monstrosity right up the middle.

"You see," yelled Kakuzu, sending a masked puppet at Hinata, "this is why it is truly worth finding strong hearts! Let the show go on!"

* * *

Gaara ducked as the three blades cut through her sand. 'What the fuck?' The man was fast, carefully dodging each of their blows. His attacks may have been slow, but his plan was clearly to work her to a point of tiring and look for a weakness.

Hidan was smart enough to know not to tackle Naruto by himself. The boy had an impressive arsenal of wind techniques, some of which had grazed him. His body sported a few cuts and bruises, but Hidan only felt more energized by them.

"**RASENGAN!"** The Akatsuki member grabbed Naruto by the wrist that held the blue orb and twisted it, snaping both bones. He planted a hard kick to Naruto's chest, which was caught.

Naruto grabbed Hidan by the foot and slammed him to the ground. He blocked with his scythe as a giant fist of chakra came crushing down. Hidan rolled away and sped towards Gaara.

She sent spikes of sand flying through the air and up from the ground. He dodged most of them, and was unaffected by the ones that did hit him. He was feet from Gaara when a shuriken from Naruto tripped him slightly.

The gap was all Gaara needed to impale Hidan on a spike of sand almost as thick as his torso. It was sheer luck that he had not been split in two. Naruto ran up and with one swipe of a clawed hand, removed Hidan's head from his body.

"It's over," said Naruto, breathing hard. He rubbed his right arm, which had been broken but healed.

Gaara looked relieved. Her sand, while very strong, was not fast enough. She mentally made a note to get faster. Her life hadn't truly been in danger, but it would only help to be faster.

"Check on the girl," said Gaara. Naruto had forgotten about her. He ran over to the naked girl and removed his vest. The large vest covered her decently. Naruto smiled, the girl would be already.

Gaara gasped. Hidan's head was now held by his headless body, which had turned its skin black. It's other hand was driven through Gaara's stomach.

The boy turned, and his smile turned to fear as he saw the bloodied hand remove itself and slash Gaara's throat in a fountain of blood.

"GAARA!"

* * *

Hinata had disposed of the puppet sent her way. She searched for her partner. She found him.

Kakuzu had created a two-headed puppet that looked like a 12-foot person. Sasuke had ran up the beast's arm when it tried to punch him and destroyed a mask.

Now, Hinata watched as the last mask opened wide and fired a great ball of wind. Before it hit him, she saw Sasuke stab it with his sword.

Sasuke purposefully took the blast to kill the mask. The initial contact burned his chest in pain and sent him flying into the dark night. Sasuke landed, body completely useless, someplace unknown to Hinata.

She looked around the area and finally located the body. She could see chakra still in his body, signifying his life.

A tear fell though. She saw how faint his chakra was…and knew how few lived when injured as badly as he was.

She abandoned the fight with Kakuzu, who had been busy watching the Uchiha fall. A blur of white did not escape his vision though.

He summoned all of his chakra. His appendages split, elongating his body and making him look like some great threaded octopus. He slowly moved in the direction the girl was going.

"COME OUT LITTLE HYUGA!"

* * *

'GAARA!!' He charged towards the body, only to be kicked away hard by the black body of Hidan. The head was put back on, and a loud singe told him that his head was reattached.

"Do you like the power of Jashin? There's nothing like it!" Hidan stared at the fallen Gaara, watching her wounds begin to close. 'She's not dead, good. Leader would not be pleased.'

'Gaara…' Naruto lay on the ground, sobbing. Was she dead? He prayed not. He loved her like the cherished friend she was.

Hidan sped over to the distracted boy and slashed him down his chest. Naruto flew backwards and through a burning home, which collapsed on him.

The silver-haired man quickly drew Jashin's symbol below him. "AND NOW…JUDGEMENT!" He laughed and laughed as he stabbed himself all over. Chest. Stomach. Sides. Legs. Throat. Head. He kept stabbing until even he himself began to feel pain.

"FEEL THE POWER OF HATE," he laughed. Everything was burning and dead. Or would be. He suddenly remembered the girl. 'Oh yes…her…my prize for my victory.'

He took one step, before the collapsed village home exploded. Pieces of rock and wood splintered and were hurled away by the shockwave.

Dust settled and smoke cleared. Hidan could make out a silhouette.

Red eyes pierced the darkness of the black shape. It began to glow red. Hidan felt craters being formed from the chakra pressure.

'YES! TRULY A WORTHY FIGHT! HOW LONG I'VE WAITED! THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE!'

Stepping into the moonlight, Uzumaki Naruto no longer had sandals on, or a shirt, and his pants were in tatters.

He had claws for nails on his feet and hands. Not a scratch on him. His hair was frayed out. Dark lines traced his eyes, lips, and whisker marks.

The boy looked evil. Eviler than anything Hidan had ever seen.

**"You…will…scream by the end of it. Every life you have taken…it shall be returned…"**

Hidan laughed and threw his scythe at the boy. Naruto batted it aside like a fly. Naruto screamed in pain. His features grew even darker.

Hinata could feel it, Sasuke could feel it as weak as he was, Kakuzu could feel it, and Hidan…Hidan almost shook.

A tail of chakra burned behind the boy. If he had looked evil before…there was no word for it now.

A piece of paper dropped from Naruto's clawed hand. It was a scroll.

Clear as day, in ink of the boy's blood, one kanji glowed. _Key._

Naruto grinned, baring all his sharpened teeth at the man. As if on command, a second tail began to slowly form.

**"Power…" **Naruto growled in a voice not completely his own, "**give me…more power…"**

* * *

The battle is not over...not by a long shot. I was hoping to convey that Hidan is a complete psychopath with no remorse or feelings. Kakuzu is greedy, and doesn't care about people in the least.

I'm certain that some of you, especially the ones who didn't like how dark this was getting, will be extremely livid with the slaughtering of innocent people, women, and children included. I told you I like my villians to be truly despised.

Kyubi is not evil, nor is his chakra or anything about him, but when someone who is pissed off find himself a lot of power...he'll use it.

If nobody noticed, the scroll that is the 'key' is the same scroll from the third task. Using it, Naruto can lessen the seal on Kyubi and access his chakra sooner than his body would allow him. It injures his cells greatly, so while also harming him, the chakra is also healing him at the same time.

Oh, I also think the Kakuzu bit is kinda weak, but he _did_ get slaughtered by Naruto so hey, he doesn't exactly deserve much.


	18. Baptism by Fire

The last couple days have been an absolute shitshow. I don't want any of you guys to think lesser of me, so I leave you to your imaginations.

Surprisingly, people liked my Hidan. I was expecting outrage. They didn't _like_ him, that is, they just thought he was very well done and evil and insane and all that nonsense.

I am personally hoping that this chapter meets with people's approval. I tried to draw the fight out. As much as it could have been Naruto blindsiding Hidan with a massive attack, I want Akatsuki encounters to be large events in my story.

Anyways, I don't really have much else to say. Enjoy

* * *

**Amid the Flames of a Burning Village**

Chakra, for all intensive purposes, is the substance that gives shinobi and kunoichi their abilities. All humans have chakra within their bodies, and while a few gifted people can learn to use chakra on their own, it is often through years of training that chakra can be manipulated.

With the proper use of chakra, a great many things are done. Wounds are healed, elements are controlled into weapons, and the human body is pushed to miraculous heights. What was impossible becomes commonplace. That is what every ninja knows about chakra.

This did not help Hidan understand what he was seeing. He had done a great number of terrible things in his life, things no man would be able to justify. Killing, raping, pillaging, he did them all with total disregard for human life. To him and the believers in Jashin, anything short of complete annihilation was considered a sin.

And it was this disgusting wretch of a man who currently shook in fear as the crimson form of Uzumaki Naruto stalked slowly towards him. Blood red eyes with slits for pupils bore into his own, making Hidan feel very much like the demon that resided in the boy: caged. The boy's nails had turned into gleaming claws. But that face was what shook him the most.

Covered in shadow, thick black markings around the eyes and mouth, and six black gashes, signifying whiskers; and the face was contorted in rage.

"**Ever since that day…years ago,"** Naruto said, walking towards the frightened man. **"…the day I met Kyubi. I hear his voice…"**

Hidan turned his skin black again, amplifying his power. He swung his scythe repeated, all over the _jinchuurki_'s body, trying to wound him. Each time, the weapon bounced off the demonic chakra, harmlessly.

"**Power…give me more…power." **Naruto was speaking and acting as if he had no sense of his surroundings.

**"To protect the ones I love…"** He said, still easily blocking attacks from Hidan, "**I must be the strongest." **From behind Naruto, a third tail formed.

Naruto closed his eyes, red chakra still radiating harshly from his body. He held his hand out, to which the Akatsuki member only looked in confusion.

Then he felt it. Chakra was pouring off the boy and into his hand. The killing intent, mixed with the sheer power, weighed Hidan down to the point that it hurt to stand. An attack like that would kill likely half the members of his organization.

He did the only thing he could, he fled. Hidan began to run, afraid for the first time in his life. He felt Kakuzu's chakra in the distance, and made haste towards it.

Naruto still stood there, silently in meditation, forming a monstrous ball of red chakra in the palm of his hand.

* * *

Kakuzu, looking like some demented octopus of black, bloody thread, had begun picking up the littered dead bodies as he went. Each time he found a suitable heart, he took it and claimed it for himself. He could feel the girl not far away, and was pleased to have three total hearts, including his own, by the time he found her.

Hinata had been healing Sasuke, who had many broken bones and gashes from the wind attack. She would have been uncertain if he would live, had she not donated a large portion of her own chakra to healing him.

Now they'd both live, so long as they could hide out from that monster.

"Hinata…" The sound of a weak voice startled the young lady. She looked down to see Sasuke looking at her with one bleary Sharingan, barely open. "I…gave you the opening you needed…no more lives…"

She looked down at the boy. Small streams of tears began to fall. "Idiot…you, Naruto, and Gaara are all I have left…I would never let you die."

"…can see your chakra…there's nothing left…"

Hinata fought to keep the temptation of sleep at bay. "I…have enough...besides...Naruto and Gaara will protect us..."

* * *

Hidan was sprinting through fields of crops. That monstrous chakra was far away now. The boy was not moving. Why, he did not know. But the more distance between the two, the better.

"Kakuzu," screamed Hidan, as his partner began to come into view. "We gotta get the fuck outta here! NOW!"

The other could barely hear him. "Not until we kill them, and collect the vessels!"

Kakuzu looked at the fleeing form of Hidan. He'd never seen him scared in his life. So, to see him pale, sweating, and running as if a devil was on his heels was strange sight indeed.

The man watched his partner. Then he saw it. From the burning embers of the dying village, a great red streak arched from its flaming center. It rose high into the night sky, then fell. Kakuzu could see the path of the streak. It was headed straight for Hidan, at unparalleled speed.

"Help me, Jashin," Hidan screamed into the sky. When he opened his eyes, he saw the fanged, red, furious face of Uzumaki Naruto, a foot from his. He was falling from the sky, mammoth red orb in his right hand.

"**Found you…RASENGAN!"**

* * *

Hinata and Sasuke, hidden deep in the woods, felt the shockwave almost blow them back. It sounded like the explosion from the Oto attack. Loud, everywhere, the kind of explosion that shook every fiber of one's body.

A great spire of red chakra erupted into the night, illuminating everything. The crimson glow gave the impression that everything was covered in blood. Then, they both heard a scream.

Both Sasuke and Hinata had killed before. Both had been assassination missions, and they had done so with nothing less than absolute stealth. Their victims, whose faces had never been seen, gave the smallest gasp before dying.

This was different. This was a scream of agony. Agony that was being choked and sputtered through blood. It sounded of torture, of pain, of absolute misery.

The scream echoed, hit a higher pitch, then died, its remnants still ringing in the now silent night. It had sounded so horrible, neither of the Konoha ninja could bear it, and fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

'Impossible,' thought Kakuzu. Hidan was dead. Not dismembered, not killed but somehow living through the power of Jashin. No, he was dead.

The attack had struck his partner in the chest, and engulfed him and the _jinchuurki_ in a red pillar of chakra. He had heard Hidan scream in pain. And when it ended, and the pillar died, only Uzumaki Naruto had stood.

All traces of Hidan had been erased, down to the last thread on his cloak and hair on his head.

Naruto rounded on Kakuzu. "**You are…**next." The boy felt the red chakra returning to his body. He had used three tails worth of power, and while the power of the tails grew much higher with each tail used, so much that the fourth tail would double his power, he had used every bit of the red chakra to obliterate Hidan from the earth.

Kakuzu began to laugh, his black thread tentacles whipping as he did. "Young Uzumaki, what do you think you can possibly do? You have perhaps half your strength left."

Naruto threw out his palms so they faced the monster. "Duck." Sickles of wind hurled down the field. They tore up crops and earth before slicing through some of Kakuzu's body, and cleaving part of the forest behind him.

The Akatsuki member groaned. The attack had not hit a heart, but it hurt nonetheless. 'Such control over wind-based chakra…'

Kakuzu brought the threads back into himself, resuming his normal appearance. "Well, Uzumaki, it seems that you do have some skill." He shot a ball of mud at him from his mouth. Naruto unsheathed the sword on the small of his back and sliced the projectile in two.

Naruto had not been prepared for Kakuzu to use a mudslide to speed towards him. The man's fist turned into a spear of thread and stabbed his chest, before throwing the boy away.

The vessel stood up and felt his wound, which was almost closed. On a normal day it would have been healed the instant the threads left his body. 'I wish I knew how many lives this asshole has left.'

Naruto charged the man. As Kakuzu attacked to defend himself, the blond split himself into four bodies. The Akatuski member managed to impale three clone bodies, but could do nothing to defend against Naruto's sword, which removed Kakuzu's left arm with practiced skill.

The boy then minced them lost appendage, making it useless and impossible to be reattatched.

"Idiot boy!" Kakuzu pounded his fist to the ground, sending spikes of earth erupting from the ground. Naruto dodged three, sliced another four, but finally found himself pinned by two spikes.

With a few seals, the spikes turned into a gigantic fist of dirt, which pinned Naruto's arms to his body. Only his head stuck out.

"So much easier, isn't it, when you listen to your elders?" Kakuzu taunted. "Now let me finish you before I search for your friends."

Naruto could hardly move, though he was pleased to find that he could breathe fine. Dumb move. Never give a ninja who specializes in _wind_ any air.

"Yes, the Uchiha and the Hyuga…" He pulled out a black book, and began thumbing through it with his one remaining hand. "Ah, here it is. Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Hinata. Wanted dead or alive. More money for alive, however."

"There's a hit out on them," Naruto yelled. "Who?"

Kakuzu gleamed evilly at the trapped boy. "Oh, my yes, there is quite a big bounty on both of them. One of the more impressive one's in the book. Several million ryo for each of them."

"WHO? Which country?!"

Kakuzu only laughed. "Do you really have to ask? Surely you know inside."

Naruto growled. "Tsunade. Konoha put out the hit, didn't they." The bounty hunter nodded and flashed the pages to him. There was a photo each of Sasuke and Hinata, their known allies (which were listed as 'top secret'), village, and notable skills. At the corner of each page, there was a box for which village or country wanted them dead.

On both, there was a blood red stamp of the Leaf.

"Let me tell you how happy I was, when I saw who I was fighting. More than ten million ryo to kill two kids! Amazing!"

Naruto chuckled. "That's the problem with all the adults in the world."

Kakuzu stared at him. "There are no adults to me, boy. I've lived since the time of your village's founding. I fought the original Hokage!"

He kept on laughing. "Then what their problem is, goes double for you!"

"And that is?"

Naruto looked hard at the man. "You all think that you know best; that you are the best. You refuse to acknowledge that each generation is stronger than the last."

"I steal the hearts of your so-called strongest! I kill each and every one of your generation, and cash their heads in. I've done so for a hundred years!"

"Your point," Naruto asked bluntly.

"My point," spat the Akatsuki, "is that the world is mine! The point…is that I AM INVINCIBLE."

"Tell her that," smirked Naruto.

Sand came out of nowhere and covered the man. It had seized his legs in no time at all, before slowly snaking its way up the man's body. Kakuzu struggled in vain to release himself. He tried to part his body, via his threads, but to no avail. The remaining sand covered his head, the flickering glow of a burning village would be the last sight he saw. The sand imploded on Kakuzu, sending blood everywhere. It imploded into itself again, and again, and again.

Gaara appeared, with a slight limp, walking towards the mass of sand. She squeezed her fist repeatedly, crushing the man inside it. In her left hand, she made a blade of sand and cut Naruto loose.

"I think he's dead," he said bluntly.

"Nothing wrong with certainty," said Gaara, smirking.

"Certainty? Is that what you call it now? Here I was thinking something like 'overkill.'" Gaara only smiled.

"That girl helped me. She shook me awake just as you killed Hidan. But Naruto...that column of chakra...what an impressive attack."

"These monsters deserved nothing less. Killing an entire village and trying to rape a girl. Murdering a monastery of peaceful monks."

"Do you know why," she asked.

He shook his head. "No, but I do know that it isn't safe to go back to Konoha. Kakuzu showed me his book. Tsunade put hits out on Sasuke and Hina. Probably us too."

"Well that little stunt of ours couldn't have gone over well."

Something that had slipped Naruto's mind suddenly came back. "What happened to the girl?"

Naruto had not seen his Konoha vest laying next to him. "She's dead. Killed herself. Walked straight into her burning family home."

He clenched his teeth and donned his vest with resentment. "Another fucking life extinguished in this disgusting world." The vest felt heavy on his shoulders. He took it off, then burned it with demonic chakra.

"Take your vest off Gaara. We aren't going back to Konoha." Gaara nodded and shrugged the garment off.

"I'll need a new way to carry my sand."

Naruto thought for a second, then came up with an idea. "I got it. Though you have to trust me."

"I do."

"Good. Now strip."

Gaara blushed hard, but her personality had gone from serious to sultry. She had never stopped desiring the boy. She wanted him anytime and anyplace. "My _pleasure,_ Naruto." Naruto began fishing through the scrolls he had removed from his vest. 'Aha, got it.'

She finished stripping, and saw Naruto with a bottle of ink and a brush. Naruto dropped to his knees and dipped the brush in ink. He began to draw symbols on her body.

The ink was cold, and ticklish, but felt delicious against her body. She shivered as characters were drawn up her legs, giving an appreciative moan when they reached her inner thigh.

Naruto shifted around her and began to draw tiny symbols from the girl's ass up her spine. It was delicate work, and the girl's almost orgasmic state was not helping things. He reached the tops of her shoulders, then repeated the steps up her stomach and breasts.

Finally, a large 'expel' symbol was written on her forehead, with several arrows pointing to the tattoo of 'love.'

All too soon for Gaara's liking, Naruto had sealed the brush and ink back up.

"Now…"she said, in the sexiest voice she could muster, "what's next." She licked her lips.

Naruto seemed fazed for a minute, but shook it off. "Now…this happens." He flicked the 'expel' symbol, which glowed bright white. Every symbol on Gaara began to glow just as brightly.

The coffin of sand fell apart, spewing the unrecognizable form of Kakuzu. Sand began to trickle over to Gaara's tattoo, before disappearing into it.

Minutes later, the sand was gone. "What did you do," asked Gaara, breathless.

"Remember when Jiraiya taught us about sealing things. Like in a scroll?"

Gaara nodded. "Well I basically made your body a scroll, or well, your tattoo to be specific."

'I'd rather you make my body your toy, Naruto…' "Meaning?"

"Meaning that on command, you can summon your sand like normal, just without it weighing you down."

Gaara moved closer to Naruto, her mouth inches from his. "How can I properly thank you Naruto."

"Get dressed. We can worry about thanks after we find Hina and Sasuke, and get their asses to that Uchiha retreat."

She dressed herself, minus her vest and very unhappily, and they went to find their friends. It did not take long, considering they both had keen senses of smell. When they discovered the unconscious pair, Gaara made the effort to carry them on a bed of sand.

Naruto, however, fished through Sasuke's vest, finally locating a map to the Uchiha retreat. He took the liberty to remove Sasuke's vest, though he was nice enough to remember to keep the sword.

"Alright," Naruto said. "This place is about two days away. Shall we?" He gave a graceful bow, gesturing for Gaara to go first.

Gaara simply eyed him hungrily, and walked off with a sexy sway to her hips. One that even Naruto couldn't help but appreciate.

And so the caravan walked off, the still-burning remnants of a dead village smoking beyond the horizon.

* * *

A little flirting and stuff between Gaara and Naruto. But relax, they are not going to be sleeping together. Ever. Least, that's my thought right now.

Not sure what the next chapter will hold.


End file.
